Naruto: The Flame Soldier
by Draco Kamikaze
Summary: Naruto, tricked one year earlier with a different team. Watch Naruto's assent to greatness, as he becomes a master of Hoken with the Will of Fire on his path to Hokage. Read & Review
1. Chapter 1

"Speech"

_Thoughts_

Jutsu's

* * *

I don't own Naruto? Well, no one told **_me _**that!

_**Naruto: The Flame Soldier**__  
_**One Year's Difference**  
By: Draco Kamikaze

Naruto grumbled as he slowly smacked at his alarm clock. He had been having one of his better nights, where he didn't have nightmares, and was surrounded by a sea of ramen, lots of well endowed women, and wearing the Hokage's robes. The women would even call him, 'Hokage-sama', while he told them of different exploits that he had before becoming Hokage.

But, all good things must come to an end, as his clock continued to tell him. Rolling over, he glanced at his clock; he figured that he had at least an hour before he had to go the Academy. Grumbling, he finally connected with his clock and knocked it off his night stand. He rolled over and sighed. _At least I didn't break it again._ He thought as prepared to start his day.

Sighing silently, he sat up, looking around sleepily. Swinging his feet over the edge of the bed, he slowly stood up and stumbled to his shower. He quickly stripped down and turned the shower on, jumping in as soon as the water started to come out. The shock of cold water hit him as he began to clean himself, completely awake him from the small amount of sleep he had left. While he would not admit it to anyone else, he was glad that the owner of his apartment had not fixed his water heater. It meant that he could wake up faster and train longer before the Academy. That didn't mean he liked the cold water, just that he was used to it.

As soon as he'd finished, Naruto got quickly pulled a towel off the rack and glanced towards his calendar, noting the date. Today was the day before the end of this year in the Academy. He planned on trying to pass early again, and was certain that with the kind of training regiment that he was currently going through, he would pass with flying colors. That thought brought a grin to his lips. Him, graduating before Sasuke-teme. That was something that would make his day; if he could just do a Bunshin.

He twisted his neck, slowly pulling on his orange jumpsuit. He had no reason to worry about the coming test, after all he was training extra hard to perform the Bunshin no Jutsu, and he could not fail. That was a fact.

After boiling some water and cooking his ramen, he made his way out the door to the nearest training field. Today was the day he would make a Bunshin, he was sure of it! Nothing could stop him from doing so! He slurped his ramen happily as he made his way to the field.

Nearly a full hour later however, Naruto found himself running at high speeds to the Academy. Not only had he not been able to perform one good Bunshin, but he was now running as fast as he could to get to the Academy on time. He cursed his luck as he heard the bell ring, signifying that the Academy was beginning. Why did Kami him?

Skidding through the halls, he quickly ran towards his classroom. He knew Iruka-sensei wasn't going to be happy with his sudden appearance.

= ^_^ =

Iruka silently counted down the seconds to when Naruto would violently burst through the room as he started calling out student's names. Mizuki sat in the desk next to him, looking bored. He couldn't really blame him. This years overall subject had been strictly Taijutsu, and it wasn't that interesting to watch kids beat each other up. Although they would never admit it out loud, it was rather entertaining.

"Uchiha Sasuke?" _Three._

"Here."

"Uzumaki Naruto?" _Two._

For a moment, there was silence. "Uzumaki Naruto!" _One._

"HERE! I'M HERE IRUKA-SENSEI!" Naruto yelled out as he violently shoved the door open and ran in, panting and sweating.

There were snickers from several of the kids in the kids in the back of the classroom as Iruka pinched the bridge of his nose. "Naruto, did you not wake up to your alarm again?"

"Uh, yea. Sorry Iruka-sensei!" Naruto said, nervously scratching the back of his head.

Iruka glanced up. He'd noticed there was a small pause before he had answered him, as if he were hiding something. But, if he had woken up at the proper time, why would he have to hide it? He brushed it off for the moment, with more important things on his mind. "Alright class, single filed line outside. We're going to be working on Taijutsu now, and I want to see everyone doing their best."

There was a slight cheer from the s as they watched their 'Sasuke-kun' walk out of the room, a vacant, bored expression on his face. Iruka sighed. He wasn't sure what to think of Sasuke, but he hoped that when Naruto was out of the Academy, he was hoping for a long vacation from pranks.

Unknown to him, similar, yet darker thoughts were running through the mind, of the individual sitting next to him.

= ^_^ =

Naruto was panting heavily as he ran through the basic forms again. He'd been doing the same form at least a thousand times now, but still wasn't sure if he was doing it exactly right. He'd had his behind handed to him by Sasuke again, and looked like a fool in front of everyone. And worse of all, Iruka had already gone home for the day. No one else was going to give a rat's ass about him, or even bother to help him. He sighed as he ran through the steps again.

In all truth, most of the kids had an edge over him with that. They all had a family who they could go to and ask for help. When they messed up, they could correct their mistakes, and help them to improve. Naruto had only himself.

Gritting his teeth as he hit the last step, he silently wondered if he should just give up on learning a style till after he was out of the Academy. If he didn't learn the Bunshin no Jutsu, by the end of today, he wouldn't be able to pass tomorrow. As these thoughts rose unbidden into his mind, he shook his head and started from the beginning of the move again. He always found that when he couldn't concentrate, he could do Taijutsu to help clear his head.

"You're extending your fist too far."

Naruto nearly stumbled. Turning around, he was surprised to find that Mizuki was sitting in the tree behind him. "Eh?"

"I said, 'you're extending your fist too far'. If you keep your fist even a little bit closer to your body, you'll be faster in your next movement."

Naruto glanced at his fist, then back at Mizuki. _Is he helping me?_ "Uh, ok. I'll try it."

Slowly moving forward, he was surprised to find that the form he'd just been having troubles with, flowed in a smooth, flowing motion, much faster than it previously had been. "Hey, it worked! Thanks Mizuki-sensei!"

Mizuki smiled. "No problem Naruto." He hopped down from the tree he'd just been sitting in. "You know, I think I know why you were late for class this morning."

Naruto gulped. "Y-you do? Really?"

Mizuki nodded. "Perhaps. Were you practicing the Bunshin no Jutsu? I noticed that you've been focused more on your chakra control recently. I guess that would be why Sasuke beat you so easily; you normally don't go down without more of a fight."

Naruto flopped down on the ground. "So, you noticed?"

Mizuki smirked. "Naruto, I'm pretty sure that even a child would've noticed." Noticing the sulking look on his face, he quickly changed tactics. "Naruto, why do you want to perform the Bunshin?"

"Because, then I can graduate early and get into some real training!" Naruto said, enthusiastically punching the air with his fist.

Mizuki grinned. "Well, that is an admirable goal. So I'll tell you a little secret."

Naruto's eyes widened. "What is it?"

"There is more than one kind of Bunshin, and the Academy doesn't care what kind you do so long as you do a Bunshin."

Naruto's head snapped up, his eyes sparkling. "Do you know any? Are they easier to do than a normal Bunshin? CAN YOU TEACH ME!?!"

Mizuki smirked. This was too easy. "Well yes, no, and no. I do happen to know of one kind of Bunshin, but the only way to get the scroll it is written in is by passing a test."

"What do I have to do?" Naruto said, suddenly serious. If he could pass early, he could get away from the angry glares that he constantly received and closer to his goal of Hokage.

"It's just one little thing. In the Hokage's tower is a secret room. In that room there's a scroll on the far corner, usually guarded with numerous traps. In it is the Bunshin I was telling you about. It's so much more powerful than the one you know, that only elite Jonin know it. If you could perform that jutsu, then you could even be placed under a sensei all to yourself." Mizuki smiled at Naruto, in an almost gentle, kind way. "Trust me Naruto. I'm only here to help you."

Naruto considered it for a moment. Mizuki could be lying, but he had helped him many times before, like that Taijutsu technique. And besides, why would he want to lie to him? "Ok Mizuki-sensei! I'll get it in no time! Just you wait; tomorrow, I'm going to be a Genin!"

= ^_^ =

Iruka silently glanced over the few tests that he had scatted across his desk. He already knew what most of the kids would get based on their previous grades. Take Naruto, he usually got within the low sixty percent. But then, Naruto was the most unpredictable person he'd ever known. He might just pop out of the blue and actually do good on a test.

Suddenly, Mizuki slammed open the door. "Iruka!"

Iruka jumped up. "What's going on?"

"It's Naruto! He's stolen the Scroll of Sealing!"

_Or, he could go and do some thing like that._

Quickly getting up, he motioned for Mizuki to follow. Once they were outside and jumping across roofs, he turned to Mizuki. "Mizuki, go find out what the Hokage wants us to do. I'll go to Naruto's apartment and see if he's headed home."

Mizuki nodded. "All right."

Iruka stopped on a roof, watching Mizuki go by. As he turned towards Naruto's apartment, a sudden thought stopped him. 'Is Naruto really that stupid to go to his own home?'

He toyed with the thought for a moment. He was one of the most unpredictable people he had ever met, so it was well within the bounds of his imagination. But there was something else that was right there in the back of his mind, taunting him. Something that told him why Naruto wouldn't go home.

He smacked his forehead. Naruto had stolen the Scroll of Sealing, a scroll filled with all kinds of illegal Jutsu. And if Naruto didn't know the difference, he'd go to the nearest training ground to practice.

Changing his direction, he headed off towards the training grounds.

= ^_^ =

Naruto was panting heavily as he sat down. He was a little exhausted from the amount of chakra he'd used, but he was proud of his achievement. Surrounding him were several other Naruto's, looking just as pleased with themselves. He'd been working on this technique for over an hour, but he'd finally figured out how to do the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Grinning triumphantly, he glanced over at the scroll again, with his clones peaking over his shoulder.

"Hm, let's see. Bunshin Bakuha. Aw, but that's easy! All I have to do is overload my Kage Bunshin with chakra!" Naruto groaned. Most of the techniques he'd seen so far had something to do with more advanced Bunshin's. There didn't seem to be any about super cool jutsu's.

"Yo! Boss, look at that!" One of his clones suddenly called out, jabbing his finger at the scroll.

Naruto glanced over to where the clone was pointing. "Um, I've already seen the Kage Bunshin. That's what you are, remember?" He laid on his back and sighed. If his clones were that stupid, it made him wonder how he'd ever gotten along in life.

The clone shook his head. "No, look underneath it! In the fine print! 'If Kage Bunshin gain knowledge, then the user of this jutsu will gain that knowledge when the clone disperses'!"

Naruto suddenly sprung up again. "What! Where?" After skipping a few lines, he finally came to the section where his clone had been pointing. "It says, 'The user of the Kage Bunshin essentially splits up a part of his conscience when he makes said Bunshin. He can then use that Bunshin to help him in various tasks such as; chakra control, studious learning, as well as patrolling areas, and fighting. However, due to the consumption of chakra, this technique has been labeled, a kinjutsu...'"

Naruto and his clones stood there in shock for a couple of seconds, their minds slowly wrapping around this new concept.

Finally, one of his clones spoke up. "Ano, this is a technique? Because it consumes too much chakra?"

Another one of his clones spoke up eagerly. "But I don't feel to bad. So, maybe it's a misprint?"

"Or maybe, there's something wrong with us." The real Naruto spoke up sullenly, silencing his clones.

"Wait! If you get all the information that we get, doesn't that mean that we'd learn faster?" Another of his clones spoke up, grinning like a fool. When the others gave him a questioning look, he quickly dispersed himself.

Naruto noticed that the clone's thoughts seemed to be flowing into his mind. And as these thoughts suddenly flooded their minds, they were quickly wearing similar grins. "Heck ya! I'd be able to beat Sasuke-teme without breaking a sweat!"

"All right you knuckleheads, release!" Naruto said, watching as they quickly poofed out of existence. A grin was still plastered on his face as he glanced back at the scroll.

Another Jutsu caught his eye. Reading through it, he scratched his head. "This one's weird; they only wrote down the theory of the jutsu…maybe they want for more advanced shinobi to make their own version! I'd better copy it down so I can practice it later."

After nearly ten minutes of rewriting the Jutsu onto a blank scroll, he quickly closed up the scroll, and placed it into the little bag on his back. He needed to practice the Bunshin Bakuha before anyone found him.

It was hours later when Iruka finally found him in the clearing. He was dirty, and incredibly tired, but triumphant in his efforts. He looked up at him from his seat on the ground as he suddenly growled, "Hey, Naruto!"

He gave him a grin and a nervous laugh. "Iruka-sensei! You've found me! I've only learned two skills so far…" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he waited for his reaction. He looked at him, shocked, which sent up a red flag for Naruto. Why would he be shocked? Was it because of the jutsu's? Or was he simply over reacting? He decided to plunge on ahead with his explanation. "I just did what I was told, and guess what! I can do a different Bunshin now! I could pass the Gennin exam this year!"

Iruka's eyes widened. "How do you know about that?!" he demanded. While it was common knowledge for the students to know that a person could do a different kind of Bunshin, he had a feeling that Naruto had slept through that lesson…no, no he'd actually he'd skipped that day in favor of pulling pranks.

"Mizuki-sensei told me! About the scroll, and about how only the elite know of this jutsu…" He trailed off at the look of horror, and the brief flash of anger in Iruka's eyes. For a moment, he thought that it was directed at him as he reached out to push him…but was startled to hear the soft whistle of kunai in the air. He could hear the hard thuds of kunai hitting wood and the softer, almost squishy sounding thuds of kunai driving into flesh and bone.

He hit the ground with a gasp, the wind knocked out of him. "Impressive that you found him Iruka." His head snapped up as he heard Mizuki's familiar voice, surprised at this quickly growing group.

"I see…so, that's what's going on…" Iruka commented, pain obvious by his tone.

Mizuki was crouched high in a tree, overlooking the clearing. "Naruto, give me the scroll."

Naruto looked up at him with wide eyes, confused by the sudden turn of events. After all, when does a kid see his two sensei's trying to kill each other.

"Hey…what's going on here?" Suddenly, everyone seemed like an enemy, and it didn't seem like anyone could be trusted. Finally using his brain, he reasoned that they both had ulterior motives to their actions, although he didn't know what they were just yet.

Iruka pulled a kunai from his leg with a soft grunt, never taking his eyes off Mizuki as he said urgently, "Naruto! Don't give Mizuki that scroll, even if you die! That is a dangerous scroll, with ninjustu sealed in it! Mizuki used you to get his hands on it!" It made sense…a little too much sense for him. If Iruka knew that, who was to say that he wasn't a part of it?

He could hear a hint of malice in Mizuki's voice as he countered Iruka's accusation, noticing the smug superiority in his eyes. "Naruto, Iruka is afraid of you having that." That made sense too, though he didn't want to think of Iruka that way. But in this situation, he couldn't trust what anyone said.

"Mizuki, what are you talking about? Don't be fooled by him Naruto!" The urgency, the seeming sincerity…but he'd seen too much in his life to take those things at face value. Tone, even body language, could be made to lie. The happy-go-lucky kid that people saw from him was a form of that.

Mizuki smirked. "Don't worry Naruto, I'll tell you the truth." He seemed to be taking an unholy enjoyment in Iruka's pain, and his own confusion.

Naruto was surprised to see the fear that suddenly appear in Iruka. "No, don't!"

The other Chunin ignored him, continuing on with a ic laugh. "Thirteen years ago, after the Kyuubi attacked, a law was created in this village."

Naruto suddenly felt his insides churn, and an overwhelming feeling that this law was of incredible importance. It was something that he wanted to know, but he was also afraid of what it could be. He was somewhat surprised as he softly echoed Mizuki, "…a law?" What kind of law could possibly induce this kind of fear in his normally even tempered teacher? And even worse; reduce himself to the quiet whisper of his true self without having even heard it.

"This is a law that no one was allowed to tell you or the kids of your generation about." Mizuki seemed to be delighting in his confusion. Naruto felt a small stir of anger as he realized that Mizuki was trying to milk out his reaction.

He stood, straightening as he glared at Mizuki. His patients was running thin, as he yelled out, "What kind of law is it? What are you hiding from me?" He could dimly hear Iruka pleading with Mizuki not to tell him, but he could feel that this was beyond important, something he had to know. Something that explained everything...

Mizuki watched her face as he drawled, "The law is…that no one is allowed to speak the truth about you, that you are the Demon Fox." His eyes widened in shock as he continued. "That means that you…are the Kyuubi no Yoko that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed a large portion of the village!"

For a moment, his heart just about stopped. He could still hear Iruka screaming for Mizuki to stop as he continued on. "You were lied to by everyone. Didn't you ever find it odd how everyone despised you even though you did nothing wrong?" It all made terrible sense…the way the grown ups looked down on him for no reason he'd ever been able to find, the reason that they taught their children to do the same. It all fit together, it all made sense.

He could feel his anger and frustration surged as the full import of this truth hit him. Was he really was the Fox, deep down somewhere? The world faded to a dim, background pulse as he slowly struggled to digest this information. And still, he could hear Mizuki continue on, "No one will ever acknowledge you! Even Iruka despises you for what you are!"

The world paused for a mere heartbeat, that moment seeming to stretch on forever as he waited for something from Iruka…waited for a denial, for anything really. When nothing came the world lurched into motion, suddenly going far too fast as Mizuki reached behind him for one of his giant shuriken. So, he did the only thing he could...he submitted to the instinct that had been pounding in the back of his head take over, and bolted.

He had no idea where he was going, or what direction he was going, but at the moment, he really didn't care so long as he was away from Mizuki and Iruka. He needed to get as far away as possible. He subconsciously understood that he wasn't running out of fear for his teachers, but rather with the fact that he was being dumped with this unholy amount of new insight to his life, one that was making him question the people who were old enough to know about him, but didn't appear to care.

He continued at full speed for several minutes, before finally dropping down behind a tree…he could tell that he didn't have much energy left. Luckily, he was pretty sure that his two pursuers were far enough behind for him to rest.

Moments after he dropped to the ground he heard multiple thuds, and then voices, from the other side of the tree. First came Iruka's voice. "It can't be…how, Naruto? How did you know…I wasn't Iruka?" By the end of that, the voice was Mizuki's.

He was shocked for a moment to hear laughter in his own voice…and then the reply came in Iruka's voice. "Because, I'm Iruka." The prankster in him silently appreciated the trick, despite the situation. He might just use that later, if he survived. He held his breath as he strained to catch every bit of the conversation between the two. He didn't want to give himself away, after all.

Mizuki sounded amused as he answered. "I see…you'd even transform into the thing that killed your parents to protect him? After all he's done to you?"

Naruto wished he could lean out to see more as he listened to Iruka's answer. "I won't let the scroll fall into the hands of an idiot like you!" He wasn't sure what to think of that. Was he more worried about him, or the scroll?

Mizuki sounded smug. "You're an idiot. Naruto and I are the same." Was he really? He thought it over for a moment before he realized that he couldn't be sure now…he pulled his attention back to the present as Mizuki continued. "If you use the skills in that scroll, you can do whatever you want. I plan on using it to gain entry to a place where I can grow more powerful without weaklings like you holding me back. There's no way that the Kyuubi no Yoko won't try to use that power!"

"Yeah…" He gritted his teeth at Iruka's answer, and his mind began to black out. Iruka, his brother-like figure, was admitting he was a monster. Had it been an act from the beginning? He was in such a rage that he almost missed what Iruka said as he continued on. "He would…_if_ he were the Demon Fox. But he's different. I've acknowledged him as one of my excellent students! He's hard working, and dedicated. But because he's clumsy, no one acknowledges him, no one helps him exceed. He already knows what it is like to feel pain, true pain. He isn't the Kyuubi no Yoko…he's Uzumaki Naruto, a future shinobi of Konoha!"

Mizuki snorted derisively. "You're hopeless Iruka." Naruto could hear the soft clink of a weapon being taken out. "You know, I said I would take care of you later, but I've changed my mind! Time for you to die!"

Naruto suddenly charged out from his hiding spot. He could feel the world slowing down, coming to a crawl as he moved to intercept the person attempting to kill the person who had acknowledge him. The world looked sharper, as all of his anger, intent, and focus was centered on his former sensei. Then, his world sped up as he kicked the traitorous Chunin with a foot to the face, knocking his weapon from it's intended target to spin uselessly off into the woods. As Mizuki went flying, landing and skidding back several feet, Naruto landed in a crouch that was far more graceful than the usual sprawl he managed, though in a feral sort of way. He quickly stood up, slamming one end of the huge scroll on the ground, and balanced it there with one hand as he growled out, "If you touch Iruka-sensei, **I'LL KILL YOU**!"

Mizuki stood, all trace of his previous smug amusement gone as he yelled angrily, "Shut up! I can kill a punk like you in one shot!"

He felt his anger surge, and he brought his hands up to form the seal for his newly learned jutsu. "Try it, trash! I'll return the pain a thousand times % " As Mizuki rushed him, snarling almost incoherently, Naruto glanced back at Iruka. "I didn't really want you to see this till tomorrow Iruka-sensei, but it's the only thing I've got! Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A large cloud of smoke suddenly filled the clearing, forcing Mizuki to stop in his tracks. When the smoke of the jutsu cleared, the stunned Mizuki was surrounded by hundreds of Naruto clones, all just as angry looking as the original.

Mizuki's eyes widened as he realized that these were physical clones, and could deal out real damage. Naruto grinned darkly as he stared at his former teacher. "What's the matter Mizuki-_sensei_, I though you could kill a punk like me in one shot! Well, if you won't move, I'll take you down first!" The suddenly frightened Chunin trampled under the falling Naruto, and beat within an inch of his life as the original Naruto headed over to Iruka.

When Mizuki had fallen unconscious, he released the jutsu and crouched in front of his teacher. "Iruka-sensei, are you okay?"

The Chunin was obviously in pain, but smiling as he nodded at her. "Yeah, I think I'll be fine." A smile quickly formed on his face. "You've been having problems with the Bunshin no Jutsu, haven't you?"

Naruto chuckled nervously. "Yea, I guess so." Then he glanced at the ground, looking almost ashamed. "But, I can do the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu without any problem. Iruka-sensei, is there something wrong with me?"

Iruka looked at Naruto curiously. "Naruto, Mizuki may have been lying to you about everything else, but he most certainly right in saying that that jutsu is something only elite Jonin know how to do. Which means that you must have more than enough skill to do so."

Naruto's jaw dropped. He had no idea that he'd learned such a cool jutsu. Now he'd definitely be able to kick Sasuke-teme's ass! But another thought quickly came into his mind. "So, does this clone really count as a kind of Bunshin?"

Iruka nodded. "Yes, it is. Although, we usually figured that kids actually _listened_ when we talked about different clones. But, I'll make sure that when you pass the Genin exam tomorrow, I have a full pocket to buy you lots of ramen!"

Naruto looked confused for a moment before what he said finally hit him. And as he figured it out, he flung himself at Iruka, enveloping him in a tackle. "Thank you Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka just chuckled, wincing slightly in pain. "You're welcome Naruto. You're welcome."

* * *

AN: Alright, this is my first fanfiction; yay me! For all those of you who are confused, I've decided that the Gennin are generally fourteen when they graduate. This is because it makes any future romance a little more believable (future romance _not _including lemons or other such things). That, and it makes a more mature Naruto seem a little more believable because he's been through more. However, this doesn't mean that he can't act as childish as he does in Cannon, he'll just be a little bit smarter where it counts. Also, please don't ask about pairings; they've already been decided.

For those of you who complained about missing things, their filled now! So please, REVIEW!!!


	2. Chapter 2

"Speech"

_Thought_

Jutsu's

* * *

I don't own Naruto? Well, no one told _me_ that!

_**Naruto: The Flame Soldier**__  
_**The Genin Exam  
**By: Draco Kamikaze

Naruto glanced around casually, watching everyone around him. He never really felt comfortable in the Academy, despite how 'inviting' Iruka's presence made it. It just felt like all of the teachers were out to get him; one way or another. But not today. Today, he was prepared for anything they had to throw at him. Iruka hadn't told anyone that he'd _learned_ the kinjutsu, although he was required to tell the Hokage that Mizuki had tricked him into obtaining the scroll for his own designs. But now that he thought about it, not once did the Hokage ask how Mizuki ended up looking like he had been beaten to a pulp.

He shrugged it off, deciding that he was over thinking it, like he usually did before a written exam. Iruka called it his 'sixth sense'. All of the other kids would glance at him at the start of the day to see how loud he was. If he was loud, no written test; if he was quieter, they'd better pay attention to whatever Iruka had to say.

But Iruka wasn't going to say anything today; he would just pass out the tests and wait for everyone to bang it out on their own. What no one else could've known was that thanks to Naruto's ace, he wasn't all that worried about the test. After all, when you spend all night studying with fifty some clones, you pick up two things; information, and a headache.

He'd also learned there was a limit to the kinds of information he could learn. While the clones were physical replicas, and could do the Taijutsu stuff that he'd learned, he didn't feel the burn of his muscles aching when he released them. His mind told him that he was sore, but his body told him otherwise. He would have to investigate that later as there wasn't anything that could do now.

Lowly, as to not catch anyone's attention, he glanced around the room. There weren't as many kids as the year before, although those who were still here seemed to be a little bit stronger than most of the kid from the other year. But then, they were all bigger than him, so of course he would have to think that. Thankfully, he was a lot bigger than last year; otherwise, he would've felt _really_ short _again_.

"Alright everyone, settle down." One of the Chunin said, glancing around as he chewed on a long toothpick. The room fell silent under his reproachful gaze as he went on. "Welcome to the Genin exam. This is where we will put you through the tests in which we will decide if you are to become shinobi. The test will involve four parts: a written exam, shuriken throwing, Taijutsu sparring, and the Bunshin exam."

Naruto heard several other kids groan, along with an especially loud one from a boy who wore his hair in a long ponytail. He could only guess that these kids were the ones who had difficulty performing the different Academy jutsu's, or at least some of the other tests. He himself was nervous about the Taijutsu portion, but he had made sure to put in a good word with every Kami he could think of before coming. They couldn't possibly condemn him for that, right?

"Here are your papers. You will keep them face down until I tell you otherwise." The man paused as he waited for everyone to get a paper. "Everyone has one? Good, begin!"

Naruto flipped over his paper and started scribbling. He wasn't quite sure what he was doing, but when he looked over it, it made sense. He thanked whatever Kami had inspired the inventor of Kage Bunshin as he continued on through the test.

Nearly a full hour later, he turned over his test and glanced around. Only a few other people were left, trying to figure out some of the harder problems. One boy in particular had a small smirk on his face as he sat back in his chair. Naruto mentally marked him as he moved on. It was always good to know who the smug, arrogant teme's were so he could remember to knock them out later.

Naruto sighed as he noticed that none of the other kids appeared to have too much trouble with the test. That only made it that much harder for his chances at passing. As he remembered Iruka telling him once, 'I know you want this more than anything, but if you were to even tie with the lowest ranking kid to pass that year, you wouldn't be allowed to go on till next year, because this isn't your year to graduate'. With that in mind, he suddenly felt the urge to bang his head against something. His chances sucked!

"Alright, the test is % Turn over your papers if you haven't already and hand them forward. Make sure your name is on your paper before you pass it up!"

Naruto glanced at his paper, quickly scribbled his name, and passed it up. He silently thanked the Chunin who had taken the time to remind _all_ of them to make sure that their name was on the test. As the rest of the tests were handed forward, the Chunin motioned for the kids to follow him outside.

Once everyone was outside, the Chunin spun on his heels to face them. "The next test, as I said at the beginning, is shuriken throwing. You will line up by gender. You already have the general idea, so get moving!"

Naruto wanted to be first in the boy's line so that he wouldn't have to worry about how he did in comparison to the other kids. However, fate wasn't so kind, as the older boys pushed him back till he was nearly at the end of the line, right in front of the boy with the ponytail.

Leaning to one side, Naruto figured that this test might take a while. He groaned inwardly. Kami, this was going to take forever!

"Hello."

Naruto glanced behind him at the boy with the ponytail in confusion. Naruto could see that the boy was fidgeting nervously, obviously anxious about the test. As he glanced at him, he realized that there hadn't been any malice in his voice; he was just trying to strike up a friendly conversation. _Well, why not?_ He thought as he smiled politely. "Hi!"

The boy looked pleased for some reason. "I haven't seen you in class before, were you sick?"

Naruto shrugged. "Just sick of being in my class, that's all."

"Ah, I would've done the same, if it weren't for the fact that it wouldn't do me any good." Noticing Naruto's confused reaction, he quickly explained. "I have stunted chakra coils, which prevents me from performing any kind of ninjutsu or genjutsu."

Naruto looked the boy over. He was wearing what might be considered typical clothing, a tan colored long-sleeved shirt, and dark brown baggy pants. His face drew his attention for a second because, for some reason he couldn't explain, he swore that the boy's large eyebrows were _moving_. Suddenly realizing that the boy appeared lost in thought, Naruto spoke up. "What's your name?"

The boy smiled. "I am Rock Lee. And who are you?"

"I am Uzumaki Naruto, number one prankster, and future Hokage!" Naruto said, grinning widely.

Lee returned the smile. "I do hope that you achieve that goal Naruto-san. As such, I wish you good luck on the test."

Naruto was a little bit surprised; unlike other people, Lee didn't know anything about him, and still hadn't laughed at his dream. Naruto nodded, a small, real smile on his face. "You too."

"Hey, will you be quiet Hot Blooded Fool? Some of us are trying to watch how the others are doing!" A boy in front of him said, suddenly cutting into their conversation.

Naruto scratched his head. "Hot Blooded Fool? Who the heck is that?"

Lee glanced down sheepishly. "That would be me, Naruto-san." When he noticed Naruto's confused look, he explained. "I cannot mold chakra, or use it to perform the required jutsu's that other kids can do. However, because I haven't given up my dream of becoming a splendid shinobi without chakra, everyone calls me Hot Blooded Fool."

Naruto thought about it for a couple of seconds, trying to figure out how to make the best of the situation, and make Lee feel better. When he had nothing, he glanced over towards the Hokage Monument. Specifically, the Sandaime's face.

Suddenly, inspiration stuck him. "Meh, Lee-san, why do you let it bug you? Don't you realize that they're giving you a compliment?"

Lee looked confused. "But, Naruto-san, please don't say that. I know that it is meant as a taunt."

"Don't let that fool you!" Naruto said, waving his hands around. "They just don't realize how much of a compliment that really is!"

Lee scratched his head. "I'm afraid I don't follow Naruto-san. Could you please explain?"

"Alright." Naruto said scratching the back of his head. It had been a lot easier when this had all been in his head. Taking a deep breath, he looked back at the Hokage Monument before beginning. "Oji-san once told me, 'Everyone has the Will of Fire. It helps our country become truly strong by binding the people with this will to each other. This is why Konohagakure is one of the strongest shinobi villages. Because we rely on one another." After a short pause, Naruto realized that Lee hadn't said anything. Glancing over, he noticed Lee was writing everything that he'd just said in a little book that he'd pulled out. A little shocked by how much he must have impacted him, Naruto began waving his hands around. "Um, I didn't say anything _that_ important. I mean, the Hokage says it all the time!"

Lee had a blank expression on his face, obviously done writing down what had just been said. "But Naruto-san, not many people speak to the Hokage unless they're on important business. So, him giving such wisdom to someone shows just how much of a Hokage that he is!"

Naruto looked down sheepishly, kicking his feet. "…You think so?"

Lee grinned. "I do Naruto-san! But, I have to ask, how does this relate to my being the Hot Blooded Fool?"

Naruto snapped his fingers. "Oh yea! That's what we were talking about!" Noticing Lee's crestfallen expression, thinking that he'd forgotten because it wasn't an interesting topic, he quickly pushed on. "Anyways, the fact that you're a Hot Blooded Fool means that your Will of Fire is so strong, that your blood is _hotter_ than any other persons; though not literally, so don't get any ideas! You push yourself, and fight to the end for the people your Will is interconnected with."

Lee suddenly brightened. "Yosh! Such words of wisdom! Naruto-kun, you truly have the potential of becoming Hokage!"

Naruto grinned. "And you could become a splendid ninja!"

Lee blinked for a moment before pointing behind Naruto. "Oh, look! We are almost at the front of the line!"

"Eh?" Naruto said, glancing towards the front again. Surprisingly, while he and Lee had been talking, the rest of the people had been quickly throwing shuriken and moving on. Now that he was this close to the front, Naruto felt a small shiver of excitement.

"Uzumaki Naruto, step up." The Chunin said, motioning forward. Naruto practically skipped into position, grabbing the handful of shuriken in one hand. Then, quickly shifting his weight, he pulled them as far back as he could and let them all go at once.

Surprisingly, they all hit the target…more or less. They were scattered around, and only two of them had really gotten close to the center of the target. Naruto sighed. _I guess all that time trying to be better than Sasuke had some advantages._ He mussed to himself, as he joined the other boys to watch Lee. _I probably could've done better if I hadn't thrown them all at once…oh well! I just hope that I don't get placed against Lee during sparring._

= ^_^ =

Naruto wondered which Kami he had ticked off as he stared across the sparring mat at his opponent. The kid was a monster, and looked like he wanted to tear him limb from limb, if judging by the boy's smug grin told him anything. The only good thing was that he wasn't Lee, and he wouldn't have to worry about fighting him for a while. That was, if he could survive this guy.

"Face your opponents!"

Naruto tried not to snort. He'd been unable to do anything but 'face' him; all hundred and fifty some-aught pounds of him. The only thing that stopped him from doing so was the knot in his gut that told him to try not to this guy off. That, and he didn't want the guy to fall on him.

"Ready…Hajime!"

Naruto lunged forward, intent on knocking this guy over as soon as possible. The boy's face changed from smug to one of surprise as Naruto quickly slipped under his guard and brought his fist to the boys chin in a sharp uppercut. The boy went down without as much as a protest.

"Um…winner, Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto blinked. _That's it? Wow, I'll ace this test in no time if I'm put up against wimps like him!_ He thought as he walked back in line. As he sat down, he saw that the next group was already up.

It was almost like Naruto had thought, as he found himself moving smoothly through the matches. What most of the students had missed was the fact that the Academy Taijutsu was designed to be used against larger opponents by slipping past their guard, and beating them slowly. And since Naruto was the shortest kid there, he almost had an unfair advantage.

As time went on, Naruto noticed that there were three main people who were ting the matches; Naruto, Lee, and another boy with long hair called Hyuuga Neji. Neji's opponents usually forfeited before they could actually begin the fight, which sent up a red flag in Naruto's mind. You didn't just forfeit to someone, you had to know what they could do. Which meant that he was in a bit of a fix on what to do when he had to face Neji.

"Next match, Rock Lee verse Hyuuga Neji!"

"Good luck Lee!" Naruto called out as Lee quickly entered the ring. Lee gave Naruto a confident smile, as well as a 'winning smile' as he turned to face Neji. When Naruto looked to see Neji's reaction, he was surprised to see a small touch of smugness in his 'emotionless' face. Another flag went up in Naruto's mind. This match would not end well.

"Hajime!"

Lee charged straight towards Neji, intending to take him out as quick as he could. As soon as he'd reached Neji, he swung out in a textbook Academy strike. Neji noticed this and quickly moved back, keeping a little distance between himself and Lee while he molded chakra to his eyes, activating his Byakugan. Now able to see Lee's tenketsu points, Neji pressed his advantage, striking Lee's shoulders.

Naruto's eyes widened as he watched Lee's arms suddenly drop to his sides. Lee's face was twisted in pain as he tried to move his arms besides the obvious fact that he could move them. Whatever Neji had done, Naruto was sure that he'd have to experience it during his fight.

Lee did put in a valiant effort, trying to kick at Neji multiple times. But without his arms, and with Neji's Byakugan helping him to anticipate Lee's moves, Lee soon found himself lying on his back with Neji standing over him. Lee struggled for a moment before sighing. "I yield."

"Winner, Hyuuga Neji!"

There was scattered applause, as Lee was helped up, and led off the mats. Neji however, didn't move. Naruto didn't quite understand until he heard the next fight being announced. "Hyuuga Neji verse Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto blinked. He hadn't expected himself to be fighting Neji so soon, but he'd learned something from Lee's fight with Neji; that was that Neji was dangerous. He might've forfeited right their, if it weren't for the smug grin that Neji had as he looked at him. _That teme __**expects**__ to win!_ He thought, as he pushed himself to his feet and walked onto the mat. Looking the Hyuuga in the eye, he felt his determination grow slightly. _I won't lose to some teme like him! For Lee…at the very least, I have to fight!_

"Hajime!"

Naruto dashed forward, quickly pushing Neji back. He'd noticed how long it had taken for Neji to activate his line, and was more than certain that if he could get one punch in, the boy would be wary of him. It became very obvious that Naruto had very little skill, as Neji noticed his blind charge and ducked down before Naruto had gotten close to him. However, Naruto wasn't one to just give up like that, and quickly began to unleash a volley of punches.

Neji was trying hard not to laugh. This _boy_ thought that he could hit him, a member of the elite Hyuuga clan, and a genius of the Jyuuken he had another thing coming. Of course, the way he moved showed Neji what he was planning on doing before he did it, so he wouldn't need the Byakugan just yet. After all, no one else would fight him; he needed to stretch a little bit.

Naruto noticed that Neji hadn't activated his Byakugan just yet, and grew frustrated. _Am I that easy that he doesn't even need his Byakugan to fight me?_ He thought at he threw another volley of punches at Neji, which were quickly evaded. _Well, he's cocky…and Iruka-sensei once said, 'if you underestimate your opponent, they'll strike you the first chance they get'. I'll just have to use that cocky attitude against him. Time to unleash the Uzumaki Surprise Strike!_

Neji grinned as he noticed Naruto suddenly stumble. He hadn't even needed to fight the boy before he fell on his face! So when he saw Naruto falling on his face, he didn't bother to move; after all, the dobe had tripped over his own feet. There was no need to help him up after he fell.

Unfortunately, that wasn't what happened. Naruto caught the ground with his hands, quickly springing into a handstand. Because Neji wasn't able to see the movement of his chakra, he was unable to see Naruto bring himself to a ninety degree angle, and bring his foot sharply upward. However, he had noticed Naruto catch himself, and had enough time to just barely jump backward to avoid the full blow against his chin. However, that didn't mean that he totally avoided it either.

The entire class gasped as Neji found himself having to roll to his feet. Neji glared at him, his Byakugan now activated. Quickly rubbing his chin, he was surprised to find that there was a small amount of coming from his lip. While he schooled his face to show the calm, serene Hyuuga he'd always been in class, he was fuming on the inside. _How is it that this __**boy**__, who's not even from our year, get off a hit on me?_ He quickly calmed himself. _He got in a lucky shot, that's all. And with my Byakugan activated, there's no way he can get another hit on me._

Naruto flipped back onto his feet. The Uzumaki Surprise Strike was more of a feint than a technique; and it had to be totally spontaneous if he didn't want to let his opponent know what he was doing. But with the Byakugan now activated, he had no chance of that working again. However, it was very satisfying to hear Lee shouting about how awesome Naruto was. It felt good to be acknowledged…and he didn't plan on just rolling over and playing just yet.

Quickly charging back in, Naruto once again threw punch after punch, along with a few kicks. But with the Byakugan activated, Neji had the advantage; as he quickly showed the rest of the class by blocking off multiple chakra points in Naruto's arms and legs. With a final strike to his chest, Naruto found himself lying on his back, panting hard. After glaring at Neji for a moment, he finally gave up.

"Winner, Hyuuga Neji!"

"Darn." Naruto said as he felt a few of people quickly helped him up. And as much as he d to admit it, he needed help to get back to his seat. As soon as he'd been seated, the instructor put the clipboard by his side. "We thank you for your time here. Please move on to the Bunshin exam."

= ^_^ =

Naruto grinned as he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, glancing at the instructors. The three clones next to him had the exact same look, doing the exact same thing. The only instructor that didn't have a surprised look on his face was Iruka, who knew that he could do the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Of course, even if he'd told them, he was pretty sure that they wouldn't have believed him anyway.

"Well, I'll admit…this is quite impressive." One of the instructors said, as he marked the test. After another moment, he motioned for Naruto to leave. Moments after he'd left, the instructor turned to Iruka. "So Iruka, what are you feeding your students these days?"

Iruka looked at the man, feinting surprised. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Let's cut the crap; we both know that the technique he used is at least B-ranked, _Jonin_ level. You don't really take us for fools do you?"

Iruka scratched the back of his head. "Well, I can't tell you _how_ he knows the technique; just that he knows."

The instructor grunted, realizing that he wouldn't get a straight answer out of Iruka he turned back to the problem of grading tests.

Iruka sighed. Normally, they could just tell the kids whether or not they'd passed. But, since there was an extra step this year, they had to add it in, as well as cut back on some good kids. A lot of kids were going to go home empty handed.

Iruka pulled out another test. As he glanced at the name, he tried not to groan. Rock Lee was the only person standing between Naruto and being a shinobi. And he knew that Lee had worked really hard to become a shinobi; it was just, Naruto had gone through a lot, and if he could get into the real action of a shinobi's life, he might be able to get clear of the villagers .

Another problem was the fact that Naruto and Lee had both scored around the same on the three other tests, and Naruto was horrible at written tests. If he managed to get even one point above Lee, he would pass. Of course, he wouldn't be in the best of places; after all, few people _wanted_ to be known as the 'Dead Last' of their class. But then, Naruto was the Most Surprising Ninja.

After looking over Lee's test, he marked it quickly. Sixty-three points out of a hundred. Not bad for Lee, considering the fact that Lee averaged around a sixty percent average. Which was a lot more than Naruto could say, with his average of fifty percent or _below_ on all written tests.

_Kami, if you can hear me, please help Naruto pass. He's worked hard, and he deserves it more than anyone I've ever known._ Iruka silently cried out. He knew it was unkind to play favorites, but then; he hadn't taught the rest of the class.

Time began to move by faster, as Iruka found that he'd only gone through two-thirds of the tests in an hour. He really didn't want to keep the other kids waiting, and quickened his speed.

As he was doing so, he found himself almost robotically marking the top of the kid's papers. It was during this period of time, that Iruka stopped himself halfway through one boys test; the name on the previous test having just registered in his mind.

Quickly digging out the previous test, he glanced at the name, and then at the score. He quickly rechecked all of the answers, tried to see if there was some kind of Genjutsu on the test, or if it was some kind of prank. Finding that the coast was clear, he inwardly smiled as he thanked Kami for all his help.

After all, who else but Kami could help Naruto get a sixty-seven percent on a written exam?

= ^_^ =

When Naruto had seen himself graduating from the Academy, he usually saw Iruka quickly giving him his hiate, and congratulating him on a job well done. He hadn't seen himself sitting in a classroom, silently waiting for the judgment to fall upon him. He'd rather fight Neji and Sasuke at the same time than to wait for his doom. But then, Fate had decided to smile on him, and had given him the eccentric Lee to sit next to.

Lee was a giant ball of energy, quick to strike up a conversation on anything. They'd already gone through why Naruto loved orange, why Lee was awesome despite the fact that he couldn't perform Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, and why ramen was food from Kami.

Finally, Lee decided to ask a question that had been plaguing his own mind for some time. Anyone else he'd asked and told had laughed at him. But…Naruto was different; he wouldn't laugh. The only problem was saying it without making it sound like it was a bad thing. Unable to hold it back, he decided to get right to the point. "Naruto-kun, if you couldn't become a shinobi, what would be your, 'back-up plan'."

Naruto scratched his head. "Well, I don't know. I've never thought about it." It was true, he hadn't ever thought about it, but now that Lee had brought it up, he found that this was more important than some of the other things that he put his time into. After only a moments thought, he quickly came up with an answer. "I'd probably be a ramen chef!"

Lee face-vaulted. The boy, who couldn't stop talking about his dream of being Hokage, would become a ramen chef if he couldn't fulfill his dream? "I'm not sure I understand you Naruto-kun. Why would you be a ramen chef?"

Naruto grinned. "Because, ramen is food for everyone! And it's like I've told you, only Kami could be so gracious as to give men ramen!"

Lee nodded. It made sense after all; it was the only thing besides becoming Hokage that Naruto couldn't stop talking about. So he would spend time with the only thing that could take his mind off the fact that he couldn't be a ninja.

"Hey Lee-san, what's your back-up plan?" Naruto asked suddenly, startling Lee.

"Uh…what?" Lee said, trying to get his head back in order. As he realized what Naruto had asked, he quickly turned away. _Should I tell him? I mean…it's not embarrassing. But everyone else laughed, why shouldn't he?_

"I said, 'What's your back-up plan'?" Naruto said, slowly enunciating as he spoke.

Lee looked down sheepishly. "I don't want to tell you Naruto-kun…you might laugh at me."

Naruto grinned. "Hey, I won't laugh at you. I mean, you didn't laugh at me. Come on, please?" Naruto said, begging Lee to tell him.

Lee sighed. Naruto had a point, as being a ramen chef was probably more anticlimactic than what his was. "Alright Naruto-kun. If I couldn't be a ninja…I'd want to be a samurai." Lee closed his eyes, silently waiting for the laughter that was sure to come. When it didn't, he opened his eyes. Naruto sat there looking at him with a dumbfounded expression on his face. "Um, Naruto-kun? Hello?"

Naruto suddenly grinned. "Lee-san, you are way smarter than me! How did you think of something so cool?!"

"…huh?" Lee said, lost at Naruto's response.

"Think about it. If you couldn't serve your country one way, you'd go out and serve it another! Brilliant!" Naruto smacked his head. "Why didn't _I_ think of that?!"

Lee patted Naruto on the shoulder. "It's ok Naruto-kun…I've had a lot of time to think this over. Besides, as a ramen chef, you could still have your abilities as a ninja, you just wouldn't be able to use them openly. You would be like the ultimate spy! No one would really suspect you."

Naruto grinned "You think so?" As Lee nodded, Naruto suddenly reached out and grabbed Lee by the shoulder. "Lee-san, can you do something for me?"

Lee blinked a few times before responding. "Sure Naruto-kun, what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to make a promise to me; that no matter what occupation you hold, you will do everything you can to be the very best in that profession!" Naruto wanted them both to pass, but knew that Fate wasn't that kind. There would be some kind of speed bump for one of them.

Lee thought it over for a moment. Then, he smiled mischievously. "Alright Naruto, but on one condition…you have to promise that to me."

Naruto's grin hardened from one of playfulness, to one of complete seriousness. "Lee, I promise that I will become the very best I can be at whatever I do. That is the promise of a lifetime. This will be my nindo, to keep my promises as I do everything I can to keep this promise."

Lee nodded. "Naruto, I to promise to be the best I can be. And maybe one day, when we are the best of the best, we can have a sparring match to see who is truly stronger!"

Naruto chuckled. "That's one match I look forward too." They both shook each others hand in a form of 'sealing the deal'.

Their attention was suddenly pulled away from this life changing moment, as the door to their room suddenly opened. "Alright everyone! I've got a list of the students who've passed, and those who haven't. Those who's name's I read, come to the front of the room to be presented with your hiate."

Naruto and Lee sat on the edge of their seats, anticipating their names being called. The instructor took a moment after each person's name was called to watch them walk down to receive their hiate's. After a while, he finally got to the R's.

"Reika Nawaki, Renjirou Akira, Riichirou Hideyo, Ryouma Isamu…"

Lee banged his head against the table. He noticed his name being skipped, and knew what that meant; he hadn't passed the test. However, as Naruto comforted him, he knew that Naruto's name might be called soon. So, schooling his expression, he sat up and listened to the rest of the names.

The instructor paused before saying the last name, a look of both surprise and disgust on his face. "And finally, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto practically jumped out of his seat; as he walked down to retrieve his hiate. He had passed! He was going to be a Genin; one step closer to becoming Hokage! Of course, just because he was a Genin, didn't mean that he had anyone's respect yet; he still had to earn it. And he was more that he would be able to get that a lot faster now that he was on his way to becoming a shinobi.

= ^_^ =

Naruto glanced over at Lee. They had just been sitting on a bench for a good ten minutes now, and neither one of them could say anything. Lee didn't want to congratulate Naruto because he hadn't passed as well, and had Naruto thought about it, offering an apology that would only make things worse. But then, Naruto wasn't known for being smart.

"Hey, Lee-san? I'm sorry you didn't pass." Naruto said, patting his new friend on the back, trying to remember how Iruka had comforted him when he was down. "I bet that if you talked to me, you'd feel better."

Lee glanced up. He really didn't want to talk to anyone right now, but from what he'd learned about Naruto, he wouldn't let him off the hook so easily. Sighing quietly, he spoke up. "I won't be able to go back to the Academy."

Naruto's eyes widened. "What! Why?"

"I was a senior this year, and even if I had totally failed throughout the year, I wouldn't be allowed back. I don't have some large clan, so I don't have anyone to support me in going back. Besides, have you ever heard of someone taking the same year twice? It just doesn't happen." Lee glanced up at Naruto, a small smile crossing his face. "But, at least now I know what to do since I can't be a ninja. And since I made you a promise, I'll just have to become the strongest samurai that I can be!"

Naruto grinned as well. "Lee, I'm sure that with an attitude like that, you'll be able to be _better_ than any stinking samurai in no time!"

Lee nodded. Then, as they sat their quietly, a thought came to Lee's mind. He played with it for a moment before talking again. "Naruto-kun, do you have a kunai on you?"

Naruto looked at Lee curiously, but quickly pulled out one of the kunai he had on him. After Lee made sure it was sharp, he put it to the back of his head. "Lee, what are you…" He was cut off as Lee quickly brought the kunai up, cutting off his ponytail. Naruto's eyes widened. "What did you do that for?"

Lee smiled. "Well, as a samurai, I wouldn't have a need for this much hair. After all, a samurai would only need a topknot. So, I cut off the hair I won't need." He held out the remains of his ponytail to Naruto, who just gave him a confused look. "Take it."

"Huh?" Naruto said, obviously confused. Lee wanted him to take his _hair_?

"I said, take it." Lee smiled. "I haven't cut my ponytail at all during the entire time I was in the Academy; I feel that it would bring back too many memories. Now, consider this a further binding of our promise. As well as you accepting my rivalry with my classes Rookie of the Year, Hyuuga Neji."

Naruto took his hair, a little grossed out and confused, but grateful all the same. "Well what could I give…oh, I know!"

"Naruto-kun, you don't have too…" Lee said, trying to stop Naruto.

Naruto ignored Lee as he pulled his goggles off his forehead, handing them to Lee. "This was a gift to me before I entered the Academy. I've worn it practically every day since then. Consider this my way to further bind our promise."

Lee took the goggles, holding them with a look that bordered on reverence. "Thank you Naruto-kun. I too, will remember our promise."

Naruto held out a fist. "I'll see you later Lee!"

Lee grinned, punching Naruto's fist. "Alright Naruto-kun. Get stronger."

Naruto grinned. "You too."

As they both walked away, neither had any idea just how much stronger the other would become in the passing year.

* * *

Alright! Chapter 2! But...no one reviewed my first chapter! T.T

Oh well. I hope that when the action part picks up a little bit more, I'll get a few more reviews. Well, until then, ja ne!

Draco Kamikaze

PS: I'm trying to fix my mistakes in my stories so that people won't have to bug me about it. If I miss a chapter that has mistakes, please tell me!


	3. Chapter 3

"Speech"

_Thought_

Jutsu's

* * *

I don't own Naruto.

_**Naruto: The Flame Soldier**__  
_**A Team For Naruto  
**Draco Kamikaze

Naruto had a goofy grin as he entered the Academy again. It would be the last time he should enter this year; since he didn't plan on returning once he was placed on a team. He did remember that Mizuki had told him that he might be apprenticed, but figured that it was just another lie to make Naruto believe that Mizuki cared about him.

To show how much he cared about Mizuki, he had him put in a six by six cell.

Naruto chuckled to himself. He was definitely stupid enough to have fallen for Mizuki's trick, but he was strong enough that the Hokage had recently told him that he was going to have to spend a week in the infirmary before he could actually be in a cell. All in all, he felt very satisfied by his work.

Naruto repositioned his hiate again, suddenly feeling slightly nervous. His first instinct when he'd woken up was to put on his goggles, but finding them missing, he'd nearly gone ballistic. It was only when he'd seen Lee's ponytail, nailed to the wall that he'd remembered his promise. It hadn't helped how uncomfortable he felt putting on his hiate; like it didn't belong to him yet.

He shook his head. He'd passed the Genin Exam, he shown that he could do just as well as the next Gennin hopeful; he _had_ earned it. But that didn't mean that he felt any less guilt about Lee not being able to pass.

He sighed. He'd reached the Academy a good half hour early, initially excited to meet his new sensei. But now, he was wondering if being with the older kids this early in the morning was really a smart idea. He shook his head. He wasn't a kid anymore, he was a shinobi of Konoha; he had to show just how mature he'd become.

Straightening his shoulders, he marched into the Academy. Ignoring both the confused and angry stares that he got from the Chunin that had arrived to prepare for their classes, Naruto made his way into the classroom.

Opening the door, he was a little surprised to find it completely empty. He'd have expected at least a few kids to have already arrived by now. But then, it gave him some time to himself to compose himself. He quickly sat down in a seat that was somewhat in the middle of the room, a small grin on his face. He silently wondered what kind of prank he could pull before he was really considered an .

Unfortunately, before he could do anything, another kid walked into the class. Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Ohayo Neji-san."

Neji glanced at him, no emotion crossing his face. "…Ohayo Naruto-san." There was a long pause as both of them stared at each other. Naruto could only guess that the older boy was still angry over the fact that Naruto had injured both him, and his pride.

Realizing that Neji was standing right in front of him, Naruto squirmed. Neji was just standing in front of him, staring at him. It made him _very_ uncomfortable. And as much as he wanted to say something, he found that he couldn't. So, they both stood there for a moment, neither one of them speaking.

Surprisingly, it was Neji who broke the ice. "Do you mind if I sit next to you?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked. He hadn't expected such a polite answer. After all, he'd knocked the boy on his butt the day before; if he was anything like Sasuke he'd have been brooding about it for a week. "Uh…sure?"

Neji nodded. "Thank you Naruto-san."

Naruto watched as he slid into his seat. Neji, the guy who was Lee's rival, was the Rookie of the Year, was sitting next to him. He was momentarily confused, until Neji once again spoke up. "I've been meaning to ask you something since yesterday. How is it that the Last of _next_ years graduating class, became _this_ years graduating Last? It shouldn't be possible; Fate wouldn't allow it."

Naruto grimaced. He could see why Lee wanted him to be his rival; if the stick up his butt was any implication. But now it was Naruto's turn to have him as a rival. But unlike Lee, he planned on doing it his way. "Well, as to how…that's top secret." Neji glared ahead, refusing to look over at him. _This'll wake him up_. "Of course, if Fate let me pass this year, maybe Fate just wants to screw with you. I'll bet that we're even on the same team"

Neji's sudden flash of anger was quite satisfying for Naruto to see. _Yep, just like Sasuke and his emo pride. Neji's given me all the ammo I'll ever need to use and press his buttons._

"At least I'm not the Last, you little ." Neji said, trying to get a rise out of him.

His subconscious caught the sarcastic tone, and yelled a quick, _DON'T!!!_

But, too late, as Naruto's short-fuse blew out. "Hey! I'm not short! And just because I'm the Last doesn't mean I'm weak!"

Neji gave him a smug grin. "Oh really?"

= ^_^ =

Iruka suddenly wished he had taken his day off, instead of volunteering to tell the class who their teams would be. Naruto and Neji had been yelling something fierce when he'd come in; that meaning Naruto was yelling, while Neji gave smug comebacks. He honestly didn't think that it was that healthy for Naruto to start a fight so soon after graduating, but he really couldn't do much to tell him otherwise. Especially since Naruto appeared to be on a roll.

But, he needed to settle him down now; class was starting. "Alright everyone, take your seats."

Naruto sent Neji one last glare before sitting down in his seat again. Iruka smiled; it was Sasuke all over again. _Naruto's going to us for this_. "Okay class, I'm going to announce the teams! Team One…"

Naruto drifted off for a moment, waiting for his name to be called. He really didn't care who he was paired with, so long as it was someone other than Neji; he'd spent half an hour yelling at the . And the worst part was that he just sat there, smiling smugly and making snide comebacks. In fact, he could handle anyone else.

"…Team Nine will be Hyuuga Neji, Tenten, and Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto just stared at Iruka, silently processing what had just been said. As soon as he'd figured it out, he slammed his head against the desk. "I shouldn't tempt Kami to do something. Kami just loves to mess up my life!"

Iruka smiled. If Neji was bad, he should wait till he met his sensei. "Your sensei will be…"

A kunai suddenly flew into the room, slamming into the wall. All eyes were quickly drawn to it as they stared at it in confusion.

"Dainamikku - Entorii!!!"

All the people in the classroom whipped their heads to the oncoming footsteps while Iruka quickly ducked. A green flash suddenly shot through the door, flying almost majestically through the room. As people watched, they realized that it was a man, wearing some atrocious green outfit. Of course, with nothing to stop him, the man continued on his way across the room and eventually out the window, some of the glass falling back within the room as he broke through it.

Iruka stood up, brushing himself off. "Well, that was interesting." He coughed, quickly getting their attention again. "Team Nine, that was your sensei, Maito Gai."

Naruto slammed his head into the desk again. "Great, I'm stuck with a and the weirdest teacher alive! Kami just loves showing me just how much he s me."

"Naruto-san, you shouldn't bang your head on the desk. You might get a concussion!" Naruto glanced up, seeing a with her hair wrapped up in two buns smiling at him. "By the way, I'm Tenten. I'll be one of your teammates."

Naruto smiled. "Well, at least you seem normal."

Tenten nodded. "Thank you Naruto-san."

Suddenly, the green blur returned. "Yosh! What a most unyouthful way to enter a building! I will have to remember this for later! I must fan the flames of my YOUTH!!!"

Naruto tried to not openly stare at his new sensei. The man was wearing a bright green spandex suit with a Jonin vest over it; he couldn't complain due to his orange jumpsuit…it was the only one he had. He had to do a double take with his face though; he looked _very_ similar to Lee. Especially the eyebrows…those overly large, disturbing eyebrows. But even scarier than that, was the fact that he seemed to have flames coming from his eyes as he ranted about youth.

"Um, Gai-san?" Iruka said, cutting off his rant. "Will you please leave? I still have to call the other teams."

"Yosh! My new, most youthful team, follow me to our new meeting place!" Gai yelled as he suddenly left the room, viva the window.

"G-Gai-sensei! Wait!" Naruto said as he followed Gai's example by jumping out the window.

Neji sighed. "This will be interesting."

= ^_^ =

Naruto was panting heavily as he climbed the last steps to the meeting place. He'd never met a person who could move so fast, and he'd seen a lot of fast people. More surprisingly than that was the fact that Gai was the only person, other than himself, who was there. Naruto took a shaky breath. "Where's the rest of our team?"

"Perhaps they don't have the same youthfulness that we have!" Gai said, punching his fist into the air. It took a moment, but Gai eventually caught on to Naruto's confused expression. "Yosh! Naruto-san, why don't you tell me a little bit about your abilities?"

"Huh?" Naruto said, moving to sit across from Gai.

"You know like: taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu…abilities." Gai said, trying not to yell too loud. An accomplishment that very few other people acknowledged when he was quiet for any period of time.

"Oh, well I guess you'd find out anyways." Naruto took a deep breath, mentally listing everything that he knew about himself before beginning. "I can't do any genjutsu; I don't know why, I just can't. Come to think of it, I don't even know how to break it. I'm alright with taijutsu, but I don't really have any kind of style that I use. And for ninjutsu; I can perform the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, Kawarimi no Jutsu, and the Henge no Jutsu pretty well. Oh, and I can out run most Chunin!"

Gai nodded, rubbing his chin in thought. His inability to perform genjutsu wasn't that bad, but not being able to break it would be a problem in the future. He'd actually seen Naruto practicing his taijutsu before, and had made a schedule that he could've followed. However, he wasn't able to find Naruto again, and he was too busy fanning the flames of his Youth to seek him out after a while. His ninjutsu was a surprise however, seeing as the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu was both a B-ranked ninjutsu as well as a kinjutsu. He had his work cut out for him with Naruto alone; the flames of his Youth would be pushed to their limits with him, if what the Hokage had told him was anything to go by.

"Well Naruto-san, I do believe that we have much to work on." Gai said, grinning widely. "But have no fear! The mighty Green Beast of Konoha will bring you up to speed and whip you into shape in no time…provided you pass the test." Gai added as an afterthought, in a more hushed tone.

"Huh? What test?" Naruto glared at his sensei. "We weren't told about a test!"

"You weren't supposed to know Naruto." Gai said, laughing lightly. "But then, your teammates appear to be late."

Naruto silently cursed Iruka for leaving out such important information. "What kind of test is this?"

"Survival training. You and the rest of the team will have to try and get one of my two bells; if you don't you get sent back to the Academy."

"WHAT!!!" Naruto's eyes bugged out. He'd never heard of _that_. Then a part of what he said finally clicked. "Wait, two bells?"

"Yes Naruto-san, two bells." Gai said, looking almost dejected. "The one who doesn't get a bell won't pass."

Naruto tried not to let the shock of this revelation show, but could tell that he wasn't doing so well. His mind raced for a moment. _How can I help my new teammates? It wouldn't do if they were held back because of me…I guess there's only one option._

Steeling himself for what he knew would probably be the stupidest thing he'd ever done, he finally spoke up. "Gai-sensei, fail me right now!"

Gai blinked. He hadn't expected Naruto to say anything about the test, especially so soon. But by the expression on Naruto's face, he was serious. "Naruto-san, what are you saying?"

Naruto grimaced. "They are my teammates, as well as my seniors. If they were held back because I somehow got a bell and they didn't, I don't think they would forgive me…I already don't forgive myself yet." Thoughts of Lee floated to the front of his mind, plaguing him with regret. "Plus, if I go back, I can pass next year. So please, don't fail them!"

Gai grinned. Naruto was definitely going to be a great ninja. But, he needed a little bit more. "Naruto, if I were to fail you right now, you wouldn't be allowed to become a ninja…ever."

Naruto flinched. That wasn't something he looked forward too…but then, he didn't know what else he could do. "Well, then I wouldn't be a very good teammate for them if I did become a ninja. After all, what kind of ninja forces the members of his team to fail?"

_Bingo!_ "Naruto-san, thanks to your youthfulness, you won't have to worry about anyone failing! You have proven that your youthfulness is contagious and will be spread to your teammates! Starting today, Team Gai steps into the spotlight! I will have beaten my youthful rival, Kakashi yet again!"

"Wow, we haven't even been here for two seconds and he's yelling about youth. What did you do to him?"

Naruto turned to the stairs. Neji and Tenten were walking up, looking like they had enjoyed the little walk that they had taken to get to their destination. They also looked like they were quite _comfortable_ with each others presence. Naruto grinned. This could be one of his greatest pranks ever!

= ^_^ =

Gai glanced over his new team. He was surprised by Naruto keeping up with him, as well as his outburst about his teammates. He knew that it would be unfair for him to give them a test with a person that had just recently joined with the graduating class, and had decided earlier not to give them the bell test…yet. However, he still wanted to go over their skills, and would have to think of something soon.

"Alright, I want to know a little bit more about you. That means your name, what you like, dislike, your hobbies, and your dreams."

"Um, why don't you go first sensei?" Tenten asked, smiling despite the fact that she was disturbed by their sensei.

"Alright! I am Maito Gai! I like my spandex suit, fighting my eternal rival, and training! I dislike…very few things. My hobby is doing large amounts of strenuous training! As for my dreams, I wish to see you do the best you can in life, as well as have people finally acknowledge me as the Green Beast of Konoha!" Gai grinned, his teeth making a little ping noise as they shined. After another moment of silence, Gai pointed to Neji.

Neji sighed. "I'm Hyuuga Neji. As for the rest of the stuff, I'd rather not say."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. _Maybe he's self-conscious about what he does…or maybe he enjoys flower arranging! I'll have to find out for blackmail later. I mean, persuasion, yea…persuasion._ He thought, inwardly cackling at the thoughts of how to hook his two teammates up. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he nearly missed what Tenten said, just barely catching the end.

"…my dream is to become like my idol, the legendary Tsunade!"

Gai nodded. "Alright Naruto-san, your turn!"

Naruto grinned. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I like training and ramen! I dislike the three minutes it takes for ramen to cook. My hobbies include training, trying as many different kinds of ramen as possible, and fixing stuff. My dream is to become the greatest ninja ever, and then become the greatest Hokage ever!" Suddenly, Neji snorted from next to him. Naruto glared at him. "You got a problem, teme?"

Neji glanced at him. "You might do well to remember that you'll never become the best ninja, since there will always be someone else who is better." The rest of the team could almost feel the smugness radiating from him, tell him who he was implying was better. "That, and Fate wouldn't let a Last like yourself become Hokage…you'll never be strong enough."

A mischievous grin suddenly crossed Naruto's face. "Oh, don't worry about that. I've broken my goal down into little parts." When Neji looked a little confused, he continued. "The first person I plan on proving my strength too was Sasuke, but I'm sure with your stick up your butt attitude, you'll do good as his replacement."

Neji scowled. He caught a little of what Naruto was implying. _So, you think I'm second best? That I'm the second pick? I'll just have to prove how wrong you are…and how Fate has already decided all of your failures against me._ A small, dark grin crossed his face as he thought of how easy it would be to beat him.

Gai suddenly coughed. He enjoyed how Naruto's 'flames of youth' were burning brightly for his teammates to see, but he still needed to continue with his explanation. "Alright team, since we are newly formed, we'd normally be taking a very special test. However, we'll be doing something a little bit different tomorrow. You can thank Naruto for that." Both of his teammates glanced at him, causing him to chuckle nervously.

"What kind of test will it be Gai-sensei?" Naruto asked, trying to get his teammates to look away from him.

"Well, it will be a skill evaluation test. So I'm not permitted to tell you just yet." Gai cursed his luck as he realized that he had no idea what to do now that the bell test was out. _Oh well, the 'flames of youth' will allow me to know what to do by the end of the day! If they don't, I'll do one thousand push-ups on my hands! _"Until then, you are dismissed!"

Naruto grinned as he turned back to his teammates. "So, since we're teammates now…want to go out for ramen? It'll give Neji some time to tell us a little bit about himself."

Neji shook his head. "Sorry, but my being here is a test for the Hyuuga clan to see how we'd do on teams. I must go and report to Hiashi-sama now. Good day."

Naruto watched him leave, silently wondering if he'd just imagined the venom in his voice when he'd said sama. Shaking his head, he turned to Tenten. "What about you Tenten?"

Tenten smiled. "I'd like to Naruto, but my parents wanted to know who I was with as soon as the meeting was over. But, maybe we'll be able to get Neji and do it tomorrow." She smiled as she walked away. "Bye Naruto!"

Naruto waved back to her, watching her disappear down the steps. As soon as she left, he sighed. "Great, now I've got nothing better to do with today." As he sat down, wondering what to do, his eyes landed on the Hokage monument. The cogs in his head suddenly began to turn, and a semi-evil smile crossed his face. "Tomorrow will be the best day ever!"

= ^_^ =

Gai was rather pleased with his team. Granted, Neji might be a problem with the grudge he held against his family, but he was sure that with the proper amount of youth anything was possible. Of course, since he'd passed his team, he had to go and tell someone.

And who better to know than his eternal rival, Kakashi?

"Yosh! Kakashi-san!" Gai yelled out as he practically jumped on the poor man. Kakashi sighed, as Gai continued. "I have returned from meeting my new team!"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Normally he'd blow Gai off, but this was a little bit important. "Really? And how did that go?"

Gai grinned widely. "I've already passed them! Their 'flames of youth' burn most youthfully!"

Kakashi nodded. "So, in other words, you'll be too busy training them to ask me for sparring matches?"

Gai balked at the suggestion. "Kakashi, my eternal rival, why would you say such things? The 'flames of youth' are more than enough to be spread to both you and to my team! I'd be able to do both!"

Kakashi looked over at Gai with a confused look. "Hm, did you say something Gai?" He glanced back at his book, giggling at the content as Gai began to cry about how hip Kakashi was.

Gai watched Kakashi's retreating form, further showing off his hip coolness. After a moment, a thought suddenly popped into his mind. He remembered reading Naruto's file in passing, which included a great deal of his pranks. As this train of thought continued, a grin crossed his face. The 'flames of youth' had provided him with the perfect test for his new team. "Yosh, to celebrate my Springtime of Youth, I'll do one hundred laps around Konoha!"

= ^_^ =

Naruto grinned as he gathered his supplies together. This was definitely going to be a day to remember. He was now allowed to carry much more dangerous items, and he planned on putting them to good use.

Creating a group of shadow clones, he pulled out a map of Konoha. "Alright, here's what I want us to do. Clone numbers six through eight will be focused on the food district, and nine through twelve will hit the clothing district. We already know there won't be many ninja there, but be careful anyways. And whatever you do, don't hit either Ichiraku, or the dango stand. Remember last time?" A small shiver ran through his mind as he recalled the crazy purple haired kunochi who had threatened him in many painful ways.

"Hey, what about us?" Clone one through five said, suddenly realizing that they weren't in this plan yet.

Naruto grinned. "We'll be working on something bigger than the rest of us." He motioned to the small pile behind himself, and then outside. Judging by their grins, he could tell that they understood. "Alright, now that we know where we'll hit, we need more supplies. Go out and get as much as you can!"

He watched as his clones quickly spread out, grinning at what he planned on doing. "This is going to be the best day ever!"

= ^_^ =

Neji glanced up from his kneeling position, looking up at the Clan head. He wasn't sure what was going through the mans mind, but was pretty sure that he was thinking something over. After what felt like forever, he finally spoke. "Report Neji."

Neji nodded, sitting up to look Hiashi in the eye. "I have been placed under a one, Maito Gai." He checked to see if there was any reaction, but was disappointed when he saw the same emotionless wall. "I have been placed with a from my class, Tenten, as well as a kid who was supposed to pass next year, Uzumaki Naruto."

He was somewhat surprised to see that Hiashi flinched at Naruto's name. He silently thought of the reasons that he might've had for this, but quickly came up with nothing. He'd have to watch him closely.

After a moment of silence, Hiashi nodded. "I see. Neji, I have something that I wish for you to do."

Neji nodded. "Yes Hiashi-sama?"

"After your first - ed mission, I want you to bring your teammates here." Neji looked surprised for a moment as Hiashi continued. "I will want to judge them for myself, to make sure that they are treating the Hyuuga clan with the proper respect. After all, I can't judge a person without having first met them; nor do I want to speak with them until they have at least proved that they can perform well. Understood?"

Neji nodded. "Yes Hiashi-sama." He then stood up, walking out of the room.

Hiashi watched the boy and sighed. It definitely wasn't easy to do this; watching his brothers son have to speak to him with such respect. He silently wished that things had been different. He silently turned around and walked into his dojo, where Hanabi was waiting for him. He mentally sighed; today was going to be a long day.

= ^_^ =

Naruto glanced around. His clones were now in position, and he could feel the adrenaline that was suddenly pulsing through his veins. This was one of the things that he lived for, that he got _so_ much enjoyment out of. Plus, he could watch his paint go off this time.

Making a variety of hand signs, he moved out, followed by his clones. Their objective: paint the Hokage Monument as fast as they could. They couldn't fail, no matter what. The other clones were depending on this distraction.

Flying through the air, he pulled out two paint cans that he'd obtained the night before. He had a plan for how the Hokage's would look, and they couldn't deviate from the original plan without losing precious time.

As soon as they reached the monument, they began his work.

A few of the residents began to wake up, settling into their morning routines. They didn't see the laughing clones jumping away from the Hokage's monuments, or some of the differently placed orange boys laughing similarly as they watched the civilians.

However, once some of the more experienced ninja began to wake up, it didn't take long for them to notice. And then it took less time for them to figure out who it was, simply by how the Hokage's looked.

The Shodaime Hokage was painted to look rather…feminine. He had red 'blush' on his cheeks, as well as red lips. Around his eyes were a lot of black lines, looking like mascara. This however, wasn't much compared to the bright orange _flowers_ that had been painted in his hair.

The Nidaime wasn't any better. He appeared to be crying over the Shodaime, though his eyes were facing the village. His embarrassed expression was confusing to some people, until they realized that he had several pink bows in his hair. A few people thought it was actually a little bit comical. But that was before they saw the Sandaime.

The poor man was ogling at the Shodaime and Nidaime, copious amounts of 'blood' coming from his nose. He had a red line across the bridge of his nose, signifying that he was blushing. And if that wasn't enough, he had the words, 'WORLDS SMARTEST ' written on his forehead.

And, if that wasn't enough, the Yondaime looked just as bad as his predecessors.

He had a dazed look in his eyes, like he'd suddenly had a light go off in front of his face. He had a purple ring around his eye, as well as some paint that made it look like his face was swollen. All in all, the Yondaime looked like he'd been beaten up by some schoolyard bully.

Now running wildly, Naruto and his clones initiated the second stage of their plan; activate fireworks. One might wonder why he would do this, as it would draw attention to him. But then, the fireworks were activated on the top of the Hokage Monument, and Naruto _couldn't_ have set them off, no matter how much they drew everyone's attention.

Of course, as the fireworks went off, people also noticed the orange-clad boys laughing as they ran away from the scene of humiliation. Everyone could put two and two together, and many ninja jumped after him and his clones.

Meanwhile, the rest of the clones quickly jumped through windows to enter into several different stores. They were simply there to get some supplies, pay the proper price, and get out as fast as possible.

All in all, the plan was foolproof.

= ^_^ =

Naruto ran through the streets, followed closely by a small group of Chunin. "Get him!"

Naruto laughed as they tried to get him. They were running as fast as they could, trying to keep up with the jogging pace he was setting. It was too easy for him to beat them to the corner, and hid himself behind some canvas.

"He's gotten ahead again! After him!"

Naruto waited till he was sure that they'd left before dropping the canvas. It was really funny, watching fully trained Chunin just walk past the simple Academy trick and not realize what was going on. _I'd better get moving, the boss won't be happy if I'm late._

"NARUTO!" A voice next to him suddenly yelled out, cutting into his thoughts.

"Holy!!!" Naruto spun around, coming face to face with Iruka. And by the look on his face, he wasn't happy. Naruto laughed nervously. "Uh, hey Iruka-sensei!"

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Iruka asked, pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to hold back the oncoming headache. Naruto did stuff like this all the time, but that didn't change the fact that he didn't really seem to get that it was wrong.

"Um, Iruka-sensei I can explain! They are painted to show their strengths, and a few things that I find might be funny!" Naruto grinned shyly, shrinking back under Iruka's glare.

It took a moment for what he said to register in Iruka's mind. "Huh?"

Naruto grinned. _I have you now! I'd better stall._ "The Shodaime was known for his Mokuton jutsu's; which is why he has the flowers in his hair. But his hair was so long, it made him look a little y. The Nidaime was known for being able to perform Suiton techniques without a water source; which is why he's crying. That, and because the Shodaime got more credit than he did. The Sandaime, Oji-san, is a ! He uses his crystal ball so that no one notices him peeping on the bath house. And finally, the Yondaime was known as the Yellow Flash of Konoha, so he has stars in his eyes; like some people after getting their picture taken! But, he got killed by something no one should've had to face, which is why he's beaten up.."

Iruka blinked. He wasn't sure whether to be angry for defacing the Monument, or proud of the fact that he now knew his history. That, and what he'd pointed out was scary logic; if not too revealing. He silently wondered if Naruto was telling the truth about the Sandaime using the crystal ball to peep, but decided to think it over later.

Suddenly, the 'Naruto' he'd previously been talking to disappeared in a small cloud of smoke. Iruka tried not to hit his head. Of course he would use a clone to tell him stuff like that; that way, he couldn't get in trouble.

Iruka sighed as he watched more clones jumping over the roofs, followed closely by a group of Chunin. _Today's going to be a long day._

= ^_^ =

Tenten shook her head as she walked to her teammates meeting place. Today was a weird day. First, some idiot had painted the Hokage Monument, and then, after she'd gotten downstairs, she'd found that a small portion of the weapons that had come in for the ninja of the village was missing. Even more confusing than that, was that it appeared as though the person who took the time to breaking to get the weapons, had also taken the time to _pay_ for them. It just didn't make sense.

Looking up, she was a little surprised to find herself at the meeting place. And, more surprisingly, Neji was there. She looked around, noticing that Naruto was somehow absent. She then turned to Neji again. "Um, where's Naruto?"

Neji shrugged. "I'm not his care taker."

"Yosh! My most youthful students have arrived!"

Both of them flinched as Gai suddenly _crashed_ into the clearing. It might've been fine, had it not been for the fact that he'd been trying to make the Dynamic Entry a little more exciting, as he added a roll at the end. This allowed him to get back on his feet faster and show off a new pose, where he stuck one hand out with his thumb up, and a large smile on his face. It was disturbing to see his teeth just, ping like that. The pose would later be called the 'nice guy' pose.

"Hey! I'm here!" Naruto said, as he suddenly jumped into the clearing. He was exhausted, but hid it behind a quick smile. "I was just trying to finish up some training!"

"You mean painting the Hokage Monument?" Neji asked, his eyes still on Gai, waiting for their mission to be over.

However, everyone was surprised when he answered with a hearty, "Yep!"

"Um…Naruto, why did you do that?" Tenten asked, glancing over at the Hokage's faces.

"Because, I'm going to get stronger! So that when I become Hokage, I'll be stronger than any of them could hope to be!" Naruto punched his hand into the air, a stupid grin on his face.

Gai grinned. "Alright everyone, it's time for our mission!" Naruto quickly settled down, sitting down in front of Gai. Gai tried not to grin too much; after all, that would spoil the surprise. "The mission is simple and straight forward. You are going to relinquish an object from a person of my choosing. You can find him at training ground three."

"What's the object?" Neji said, a small grin on his face. Gai may have acted weird, but this 'test' might just be fun after all.

"The object is a small, orange book. The person you need to liberate it from, is a person named Hatake Kakashi." Gai mentally grinned at his form of payback. However, he was surprised to find that Naruto was laughing.

Everyone watched as Naruto suddenly fell on his back, unable to contain his laughing fit. He went at it for a good couple of minutes before Tenten couldn't take it anymore. "What's so funny?"

Naruto wiped his eyes. "I'm sorry, it's just that," He grinned evilly as he looked up at Gai. "I've got more experience taking that book than anyone else in all of the elemental countries."

Their reactions were almost priceless. Gai's eyes bugged out while his jaw dropped. Tenten just looked confused, and Neji…was Neji. Finally, Gai explained. "What Naruto is saying, is that he's managed to beat a former ANBU captain."

Neji now took a new look at Naruto. He was still the same kid as before, but now he had more to him, like there was a small danger to him. He brushed it off. After all a dobe is still a dobe.

"You have until three o'clock today to get the book, and meet back here. Since it is currently nine o'clock, I'd get started." Gai said, grinning as watched his team jump off, Naruto in the lead. He was suddenly _very_ happy with his team.

Dainamikku – Entorii = Dynamic – Entry

Dynamic Entry is a taijutsu technique used by Maito Gai. Gai will throw a kunai to distract his targets attention; he will then use his speed and agility to quickly approach and attack his opponent from their blind side.

Now, before anyone tries to tell me that Gai wouldn't have just passed them, hear me out. Naruto just passed, and didn't know much about his teammates. That and the fact that Gai probably took the team that Lee might've been on, because Lee reminded him of himself. That and…you can't work with people until you have a basic friendship and trust with them first. People wouldn't want to be fighting with someone who could possibly stab them in the back, right?

Anyway, this is Chapter 3! Now would all you good people who've put me on your Alert or Favorite's list please, for the love of Kami, REVIEW!!! Thank you :D

Draco Kamikaze


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own Naruto.

_**Naruto: The Flame Soldier**__  
_**First 'Mission' & Training  
**Draco Kamikaze

As Neji watched the spectacle before him, he suddenly felt like he was going to be sick. The food at the Hyuuga compound was always make with some degree of skill, as well as the fact that he could actually swallow the food. He hadn't really been opposed to eating outside the Hyuuga compound; he actually knew of a few good restaurants that served decent food. However, their current place's food looked like it was made from the leftovers that are commonly fed to dogs in alleys.

But when he saw what Naruto was doing to this…this…_food_; anyone else might feel the same way. Well, anyone who wasn't the store owners. They were too busy looking at Naruto with money signs in their eyes. And he swore that every time Naruto ordered another bowl, there was something like a giggle, and an evil chuckle in the back of the room.

Neji took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. After all, he'd been out voted when Naruto suggested that they eat breakfast before heading out on the mission. However, Naruto seemed insistent that they eat _ramen_ from some vendor he'd never even heard of before.

"Um, Naruto?" Tenten said, breaking his train of thought. "What's this elaborate plan that you've got?"

Naruto glanced over at her, his noodles hanging comically out of his mouth. After taking a quick second to slurp the rest of the noodles into his mouth, he smiled. "Well, there are a few things you need to know. First, we won't be able to beat him if you guys don't eat. We'll need as much energy as possible if we want to any kind of chance against him. Second, he won't be that alert since we'll strike after he's done testing his Genin hopefuls. Because he probably won't pass them, we won't have to worry about him leaving the training field, or them interfering."

Tenten nodded, turning to her own ramen. As she started to pick up her noodles, she glanced at him with a questioning look. "You're making this sound pretty easy, are there other things?"

Naruto grinned as his teammates as they slowly began to slurp down their noodles. "Well, for one thing he is obsessed with a certain _adult_ book. The title of said book is Make-Out Paradise." He tried not to grin too widely as they nearly spit out their noodles. Obviously, due to the fact that most of the population of Konoha read the book, they had at least heard of the book…and its reputation. "This particular book is our assignment."

This was a little more than they could handle at the moment. They spit out their noodles, gagging on the noodles that went down their throats as they did so. Naruto leaned back in his chair as he waited for them to stop choking. As they managed to recompose themselves, Tenten looked at him. "Are you telling me, that Gai-sensei wants a book? Why? What would he gain from it?"

Naruto shrugged. "It could be for a lot of various reasons. He could want to humiliate Kakashi, get him to give him something, or various other things. He could also want something from Kakashi that he can't get without the book; although what I can't say." Naruto put his chopsticks on his bottom lip, thinking for a moment. "He could also plan on paying us for this."

Neji glanced at him curiously. "Why would he pay us?"

Naruto grinned. "Well, I've actually got a small stockpile of money hidden away from various Jonin who've wanted to humiliate ero-Kakashi. That's how I managed to get his book so many times; money is a very good motivator."

Tenten twitched angrily as a thought occurred to her. "And when you've taken the book…you haven't read it, have you?"

Naruto blinked, a confused look on his face. As it dawned on him what she was asking, he was both shocked and angry. "I'm a guy, but I'm not some kind of idiot who has nothing better to do than read that for hours on end."

Neji snorted. "Yea right."

Naruto glanced at him, a mischievous grin on his face. "You and the Hyuuga clan should watch what you say, hypocrites. After all, you may be against it in public, but what about in private? I know a little about the Byakugan. It can see three hundred and sixty degrees, completely around you; it can see for a couple hundred yards in any direction; and I happen to know that it can see through…various materials."

Neji glared at him, not liking where this conversation was going. "And…? What are you implying?"

Naruto grinned as he put his hand into his back pocket, digging around. After a moment, he triumphantly pulled out several pictures. At first Neji figured that he was trying to make some kind of stupid joke with him…until he realized that the pictures were of various Hyuuga calmly walking by the hot spring, their Byakugan activated. Neji paled; this would _not_ good for the Hyuuga, their status or their image, especially if the pictures got out. The Hyuuga weren't supposed to use their Byakugan outside of training and missions, where people couldn't infer that they were s. Of course, that didn't mean that everyone followed that rule, just that that was the rule. And judging by the small stack that Naruto had, a lot of Hyuuga had decided against listening to that rule.

He glanced up from the photos as Naruto spoke up. "You see, catching them in the act took a lot of work, but in the end it was worth the effort. If you want to continue to insult my intelligence, I might just have to give one of these pictures to several newspapers to publish for all Konoha to see. I'm more than certain your standing would go up from some publicity like this."

Neji's face paled further. "Y-you wouldn't d-do that…would you?"

Naruto shrugged. "Like I said, catching them wasn't easy, but definitely worth it. Now, I might be willing to make some kind of deal with you; if you're willing to listen."

Neji gulped. With those kinds of pictures, he could easily throw the Hyuuga into disarray; forcing them to fight against each other over this little matter that would be made much, _much_ bigger by the civilians of Konoha. If only he knew the irony of it all. "A-alright, what do you want?"

Naruto quickly put the pictures away. "I'll tell when I've got something I want from you. Until then, I'll hold onto these." Naruto's eyes suddenly gleamed evilly. "If I were you, I would start warning the other Hyuuga's to watch their backs; after all, it would be boring if my favorite subjects got sloppy and ever so easy to catch in the act."

Neji felt a lump growing in his throat. As much as he d the main house, there were pictures of a few branch house members by the hot springs.

As he thought back on the pictures, Tenten decided to stop his agony. "Well, now that you've established that you can get blackmail on people, why don't you tell us more _useful_ information about Kakashi?"

Naruto waved his hand at her, a grin still stuck on his face. "Alright, alright. Well, as Gai-sensei said, he is a former ANBU captain, and very dangerous at that. He has the nickname, 'Copy Ninja Kakashi', which has something to do with the fact that he knows over one thousand jutsu's from pretty much every one of the elemental countries. He's a master of taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, and about everything in between. If he's fighting anyone lower than Chunin, he usually keeps his book out and fights with it in hand. Also, during these fights, he rarely shows even a small portion of his skill, preferring to humiliate them rather than fight them outright. Oh, and one more thing, while he loves his book, but if he sees something more, alluring, he will look. It's just a part of who he is."

Neji and Tenten stared at their ramen, trying to digest this sudden dump of information on their target. They were facing someone who would ultimately destroy and humiliate them if they weren't careful. And since Naruto knew more about him than they did, they would have to trust that everything he told them was true. And with that amount of skill, they wouldn't have much of a chance to do anything.

But then, they had someone who knew how to defeat him. Naruto would be their ace in the hole.

"Okay Naruto, what's the plan?" Neji said, figuring an 'all business' attitude would be best for this situation.

Naruto grinned. "Here's what we have to do."

As Naruto outlined the plan, Neji's 'all business' face fell for one of both disgust, and shock. _This plan…is completely insane. Plausible, yes, but completely and utterly insane._

= ^_^ =

Kakashi sighed as he slowly turned the page of his book. It was noon now, and he'd just sent his new batch of recruits home. He had been very disappointed in their performance; not one of them even tried to help the others. He sighed again. It would probably be a _long_ time before anyone passed the test. Of course, the fact that this was one of the few things he was really serious about made it all the harder for anyone to pass.

Suddenly, he felt several presences enter the training field. He didn't glance up from the book just yet; after all, most shinobi knew better than to interrupt another's precious reading time. However, when one of the people landed, and he actually got half a look at him, he paled.

The person standing in front of him looked like your normal Genin; black hair, brown eyes, semi-normal ninja attire. But underneath it all, Kakashi noticed that the person was using the Henge no Jutsu, which could only be one person.

"Hello Naruto, what brings you here?" Kakashi asked, faking a smile while bringing his book a little closer to his chest. After all, there was no need to give Naruto any unfair advantages.

Naruto grinned, releasing the jutsu. "Meh, you saw right through me ero-Kakashi. I guess my technique still needs some work."

Kakashi chuckled. In reality, Naruto's henge had been perfect; Kakashi had just been around Naruto enough to know that he had a few habits that no one else really noticed. Like the fact that when he landed, he would rock forward and then back on his heels, as if preparing for an oncoming strike that wouldn't come. He would also throw his hands out to the sides, trying to maintain balance, while centering his weight. There were other people who did things in a similar way, but only Naruto had that overly large, fox-like grin plastered on his face.

Kakashi sighed. "Alright Naruto, who paid you this time. I can't think of anyone who I've seriously ticked off today…or for most of the week." It was true; after Naruto's continual capture of his book, some of the Jonin had made him promise to be a little more punctual to meetings and such. He was still late; he just wasn't the usual two to three hours late. They couldn't want to hurt him for improving…right?

Naruto grinned. "I didn't come here because I'm being paid too. I came to introduce these ladies." As he spoke, two well endowed women walked out from behind some trees, giggling as Kakashi's eyes widened. "They told me that they've been dying to meet you."

Kakashi tried not to drool behind his mask. They were perfect; their curves, their show of cleavage from their dresses, their assets, even their lips which pouted cutely as he looked them over. And the best part; there was no way that they could be Naruto's Oiroke no Jutsu, because Naruto was standing right next to him. A small portion of him wondered how it was possible for Naruto to find such women…but the part of him was too busy ogling at them to notice.

His private were cut off as the ladies began to move forward. "Kakashi-kun, how do we look? We dressed up like this just for you."

The other lady smiled, swaying her hips as she walked forward. "Kakashi-kun, would you like to unwrap us now? Or should we go back to your place?"

Kakashi grinned, feeling like he was in heaven. He would've put his book away, but the ladies seemed to almost pout every time he moved, so he decided not to put it away for now. It wouldn't hurt to leave it out for a moment. If only he knew.

Naruto grinned as the seductive talking was lulling Kakashi into a 's paradise. He thought back to his plan as he quickly took a step back.

_The only way for this attack to work is if Tenten strikes after the phrase, 'go back to your place'. His mind will momentarily short out at the implications, so you'll have a better chance of pushing him into our ambush. You'll have around ten seconds to act, so don't waste them._

"Hello ero-baka!" Tenten suddenly yelled out as she unleashed a large hail of kunai and shuriken, from her position in the trees. Kakashi's eyes widened at the sudden rain being hailed down upon him, and quickly jumped to the left, focusing on his new target.

_I've never worked with a group before, so we'll have to assume that Kakashi will focus his attention on Tenten. Neji, this is where you'll have to strike. Your Jyuuken can turn off his chakra, so aim for his arms, then his legs; no need to needlessly struggle against a person with more jutsu than all of our ages put together._

Neji slid into his Jyuuken stance as Kakashi jumped straight for him. While a Jonin would usually know to use Kawarimi no Jutsu to escape from an attack like that, Naruto had been right in assuming that Kakashi wouldn't think to do any kind of jutsu seeing as he had two lovely ladies standing right in front of him. He shook his head, trying to get the mental image out of his head as he activated his Byakugan.

"Jyuuken!" He yelled as he struck the tenketsu points in Kakashi's right arm. Realizing that he'd been set up, Kakashi used the jump to add momentum to a spin kick. Had Neji been unable to see how Kakashi's chakra was moving, he would've been kicked in his gut and sent flying. However, because he could, he was able to duck down before his strike came close. While Kakashi was still of balanced, Neji used that moment to strike a few more tenketsu points in his leg, stiffening it.

_The next strike will be one of the most important. Tenten, once Kakashi's attention is focused on Neji, strike the back of his legs. We'll need him to be in the air with only one possible way to get back on the ground; which will mean that he'll let go of his book for just a moment. Once he's done that, leave the rest to me, and run. Run as fast as you can. Otherwise…none of us will see the light of day ever again._

"Take this!" Tenten yelled as she swept a bo staff at the back of Kakashi's legs. Caught off guard, Kakashi was thrown into the air. Realizing that his right arm was currently useless, and he couldn't spin himself completely around, there was only one thing to do.

Reluctantly giving his book a little toss, he reached down with his left hand and brought himself around, landing safely in a crouch. Reaching up to catch his book, he froze. His book was no longer falling to the ground, but clutched tightly within Naruto's hands, his trademark grin on his face.

Realizing what had happened, he had a ous gleam in his eyes. Neji and Tenten were already running as fast as they could in the other direction, but he didn't care. All that he wanted was to get his book back, and to make Naruto suffer. Preparing to straighten up to run after him, he stopped when a voice behind him suddenly announced itself.

"Sennen Goroshi!"

Kakashi's eye widened as he felt a chakra enhanced pair of fingers suddenly stick themselves into his nether regions. Glancing back, he saw one of the lovely 'ladies' was standing behind him, a smirk similar to Naruto's on 'her' face. After a moment, he was unable to maintain his sense of well being, he finally let himself go flying through the air, screaming at the top of his voice how he would destroy Naruto once he got his hands on him.

= ^_^ =

Naruto suddenly sneezed as Neji and Tenten caught up with him. Neji gave him a curious look. "Are you catching a cold Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head. "It's probably just ero-Kakashi talking about me. He'll forgive me once he finds out that it was Gai who put me up to it. We should be fine" Hearing the echo of Kakashi's screaming, he sweat dropped. "Wow, I didn't think my clone would put so much chakra into that."

Tenten sighed. "Naruto, there's something I want to ask you." Naruto glanced over, feeling a sudden weight on his shoulders from Tenten's, 'womanly killer intent'. "Where did you get the idea for such a stupid jutsu?!"

Naruto scratched his head nervously. He had warned her that the plan would involve something that might make her feel a little bit…okay, _really_ awkward. But then, she had every right to know.

"Um, Naruto-san." Naruto glanced at Neji, who was trying hard not to think of the endowed women as women. "How did you create that jutsu? For some reason, I couldn't see through it with my Byakugan."

Naruto blinked. _I didn't know that. I'd better not tell them _how_ I do it…otherwise Neji might figure out how to see through it._

"Like I said before, I didn't read ero-_Kakashi's_ book, and I'm not just some guy who reads it all the time." Naruto grinned as Tenten gave Naruto a confused look. "I've read the book, yes. Once. But it was only to create the Oiroke no Jutsu as a final resort against guys who've cornered me for some prank I've done; it's my ultimate offense, and defense."

"That still doesn't explain how it was able to go by undetected by the Byakugan." Neji said, once again trying to look impassive as his emotions raged beneath the surface.

Naruto blinked. "Maybe it was because it wasn't just the Oiroke no Jutsu."

Tenten pulled out several kunai, obviously still angry at him. "Speak fast; otherwise you'll end up like a pincushion."

Naruto waved his arms around franticly. "It's a combination of my Oiroke no Jutsu and Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! I call it the Oiroke Bunshin no Jutsu. Just be glad that this version has clothes!"

There was a sudden, long silence. Naruto glanced at Neji who just shook his head. Quickly thinking back on what he said, it dawned on him as Tenten pulled out a very, very large hammer. Noticing the evil glint in her eyes, the kind that only promised pain and suffering, there was only one thing for him to say, "Oh…snap."

= ^_^ =

Gai was feeling most youthful as he made his way to where he was supposed to meet his team. While they might not have noticed, he had been watching them from some distance away, making sure that if Kakashi was too much for them, he would intervene and prevent them from dying. While he wasn't sure if Kakashi's reaction would be that severe, he also knew how possessive he was of his book.

However, they had done well, actually getting Kakashi's book as a team. He cried as he began a silent rant about how his flames of youth must've been getting to them already.

He had been surprised when he watched their plan of action from his hiding place; their teamwork actually wasn't half bad. He'd been even more surprised when Naruto used _that_ jutsu in conjunction with his Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, but then, he wouldn't be the prankster that everyone knew him to be if he didn't come up with some way to get perform the most alluring jutsu without getting himself hurt. Gai grinned, a small twinkle in his teeth. Naruto was definitely going to be a youthful prodigy…if he could convince him to not be a .

Almost a moment after he'd arrived in the clearing, Naruto suddenly burst into the clearing as well. Following close behind was Tenten, a ous gleam in her eyes as she continued to throw kunai after kunai at the poor boy. While Gai didn't blame her for wanting Naruto to be d for a very long time, he still had to return Kakashi's book intact if he wanted anything from him.

Gai quickly jumped between them, grabbing both Naruto and Tenten by the back of their shirts. "Yosh my youthful students! It is only one thirty! You have passed with time to spare!"

Tenten covered her ears, causing her to drop the weapons she'd been planning on throwing at Naruto. Neji just sighed as he silently walked up behind them. "Alright Gai-sensei, what now?"

Gai put both of his students down, quickly thinking. Remembering the package he'd ordered the other day, he grinned. "Yosh! I will now allow you to fully access your Springtime of Youth!"

As he said this, he pulled out three pairs of green spandex. The reactions varied from person to person.

Neji just looked away, thinking of anything but him and his team in that ridiculous outfit. That, and he'd probably get the Caged Bird Seal activated by more than half the Main Branch members if they saw him like that. Plus…it would be humiliating in more than one way.

Naruto took one of them, simply because he wanted to find out if he could cut, tear or burn the suit. It would be both fun, and educational. After all, if he knew what it could stand, he could make something similar that was less…green.

Of all the reactions however, Tenten's was the strangest, and the funniest. She looked terrified at first, but when Gai moved it closer to her, she pulled out a large amount of spell tags; meant to ward away evil. Naruto would've asked her where she'd gotten them from, but considering the amount of weapons she had thrown at him; he decided not to push his luck. After all, this would give him a little bit of freedom from her wrath…for now.

"With these new uniforms, you would be able to fight with the strength of one thousand men, be faster than anything you've ever dreamed, and stylish enough to catch the attention of only the most youthful women!" Gai said, hearts in his eyes as he 'cuddled' the jumpsuit.

While probably scared for life, Naruto had heard some of the other things he'd said. "Gai-sensei, how would this make us stronger and faster?" It was a harmless question, really. But to Gai, it sounded like he was really into the horrible green spandex.

"Yosh! The material of this suit is made to be streamlining, making you faster! And once you are able to move faster, you're strength will slowly but surely follow!" Gai said, balls of fire coming from his eyes.

Naruto shuddered realizing that Gai wanted them to put the spandex on. A sudden light bulb went off in his head. "But Gai-sensei…if we were able to move as fast as you without the suit, wouldn't that mean that we've surpassed your youth?"

He would later realize that he'd put himself in the worst of positions with Gai that no sane person would want to be in. That and he'd realize that he'd spoken 'Gai'.

Gai gasped. "Naruto-san, are you saying that you wish to challenge my springtime of youth?"

Gulping, he quickly nodded. Glancing to either side of himself, he noticed that something was wrong. Neji and Tenten weren't there anymore. Looking behind himself, he could see the faint dust trail that they were kicking up as they ran away as fast as they could. "Hey! Are you guys just going to leave me here?!"

When he turned back to Gai, he blinked. Gai was no where to be found. After glancing around for a moment, he decided to go look for him. But after noticing that they were hard to move, he glanced down at his legs. His eyes widened as he realized that Gai had somehow managed to move while he wasn't looking and strap a pair of weights to his legs. And from what he could tell, they were _heavy_.

"Yosh! With these new set of weights on your legs, you will most surely brighten your flames of youth!" Gai said, suddenly appearing behind him. "Now Naruto-san, we must begin your new workout: twenty laps around Konoha, one hundred push-ups, one hundred crunches, one hundred sit-ups, and then two hours of one on one sparing! Of course, we will have to do much more tomorrow, so here's what we'll have to do…"

Naruto gulped as Gai continued to ramble on. His best day ever, had just been turned into the being of his worst nightmare.

= ^_^ =

Tenten and Neji panted as they finally slowed to a stop. They had noticed the evil gleam in Gai's eyes, and did _not_ want to find out what he had in store for them. Finally catching their breath, they glanced around. There was no sign of either Gai or Naruto in the area. It was actually quiet, almost peaceful, in the clearing.

Glancing at Tenten, Neji sighed. "You know, Gai is probably going to drive Naruto into the ground for that."

Tenten nodded. "Serves him right. If he has enough time to paint the Hokage's Monument or go peeping, then he can work himself to for all I care!"

Neji blinked. Tenten seemed to have a dark aura about her, one that threatened to beat anyone who got in front of her to tiny little pieces. After watching her for a moment, he spoke up. "You know Tenten; you need to blow off some steam."

Tenten glanced at Neji, the aura following her. "Why do you say that?"

Neji sighed. "Because as much as I to admit it, we were Naruto's back-up. If it had been us verses Kakashi, we might not have gotten out of there as unscathed as we did."

Tenten looked confused for a second before a light went on in her head. "So…he was acting as the team leader?"

Neji nodded. "He wasn't stronger than us; he simply had more experience fighting. In a battle, sometimes that's all you need to defeat your opponents." He closed his eyes for a second, going through a set of hand seals. When he ended on the final one, he opened his eyes, veins bulging around them. Schooling his face to one that was impassive, he slid into the Jyuuken's stance. "Whenever you're ready."

Tenten grinned, pulling out a scroll from her. Neji raised an eyebrow as she unsealed several different weapons. They both stared at each other, Neji with an impassive look, and Tenten with a ic smirk that could rival Anko's.

"YOSH! IT IS TO IMPROVE YOUR YOUTH!!!"

"I DON'T CARE IF IT WOULD MAKE ME TALLER! I'M NOT WEARING THAT HIPPY SUIT!"

Both Tenten and Neji jumped back as Naruto and Gai suddenly ran through the clearing, running as fast as they could. From what they could see, Gai was insistent that Naruto wear his 'Gai suit' while training, and Naruto wasn't going too. As such, Gai was using it as a very good persuader to get Naruto to run as fast as he could despite the new weights that he was wearing.

After several second of silence, Tenten glanced back at Neji. "We never speak of this…ever."

Neji nodded, sliding back into his stance. "Let's get started."

= ^_^ =

Sarutobi sighed as he glanced over at his face on the Hokage Monument. No matter how true that might have been, he didn't need it publicly displayed to everyone in the village. That, and it was distracting him from more important matters. Glancing forward, he waited for the ANBU to arrive.

Within moments, they appeared in front of his desk. "Report." Sarutobi said, trying hard to make sure that his voice didn't show just how stressed he was.

The ANBU captain nodded and stepped forward. "When we arrived at their base, it had been completely deserted. They have completely moved themselves from that base, and could be any number of places by now. Had it not been for the disturbance a few days ago, we might've gotten there sooner."

Sarutobi could hear the disappointment in the man's voice as he spoke. This particular group was becoming quite strong now; if only they could cut the weed before it finished its growth.

He sighed. The other thing on his mind was Naruto. Naruto hadn't done anything wrong when he'd stolen the Scroll; he'd just been following an order from his teacher. And from what he'd heard, Mizuki had broken his S-classed law, the punishment being . He'd been trying to follow thru on his law, but the civilian council was pushing equally in opposition.

'He was just trying to do the village a service, he should be a hero', one particular civilian had said during the recent meeting. Had it not been for the fact that he couldn't do anything to the man, he would've ripped the man apart with his own hands. The civilians had no idea how close they were to breaking his law every time they spoke, and how much he wished that he could just enforce it and get it over with. But, since they'd been dodging the law by obeying the word, and not the spirit of his law, he couldn't punish them as was written in his law. That, and if he had them all killed their population might be taken down by more than half.

However, he was sticking with his decision. As soon as Mizuki was strong enough to stand on his own two feet, he was to be executed. The council could argue all they wanted, but he'd passed the law with their consent all those years ago, and the only way to get around it was to completely revoke the law. And since it would be too late for Mizuki by then, they really had no say in the matter.

Fidgeting for a moment, one of the other ANBU with a bird's mask, code named 'Sparrow', spoke up. "Hokage-sama, there is something else."

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes. 'Something else' was never good news. "Speak."

Sparrow nodded. "When we got there, most of the equipment and research was missing. However, a few documents were left behind. While we don't know if they were left on purpose or not, we do know something." He leaned forward, lowering his voice as he continued. "It's about the people that are funding them…and who they are funding."

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow. "Go on; tell us what you know."

"The first was a pair of deposit notes from Iwa, Kumo, and some place called Oto." Sarutobi narrowed his eyes. Iwa and Kumo were allowed to fund the people they wished too as it wasn't any of their business. However, the fact that they were funding a small time enemy of Konoha didn't put them in a good light. He didn't know who Oto was, but he'd have to have someone placed on them. It wouldn't be good if they turned out to be someone with a lot of power behind them. But if he'd thought that was bad, what he heard next nearly gave him a heart attack. "They appear to be funding one 'Akatsuki' organization. We have no records of these people, but we do know that if they are being funded by this group, they could be trouble."

Sarutobi let out a shuddering sigh. "You have no idea."

= ^_^ =

A large figure, shrouded in darkness sat patiently as he waited for his subordinates to report. He was able to let a small sigh escape him earlier when the Konoha fools had come to his previous base. Had he and his group been a day later, they wouldn't have made it away in time.

He quickly sat straight in his seat, a small smile on his face. "So, what do you have to report?"

Another figure silently descended from the shadows, quickly bowing to the figure before he began his report. "Sir, we have found that Konoha found our previous base, and investigated. We did as you asked before hand, so everything is in place."

The figure nodded. "And what of the possible recruits. You do have some people who might be helpful to the cause, correct Kaimu?"

Kaimu nodded. "Hai, a one Mizuki was captured in Konoha and is currently under the care of Konoha doctors. He is currently being healed of numerous injuries, and won't be released until he is taken to prison in the next six days. While he is simply a pawn, we could use this time to our advantage. He does have certain attributes that will bring him to us; such as his for power."

The figure smirked. "He sounds like a perfect candidate. Bring him to me, and we will see whether or not he wished to obtain that which has been out of his reach. We can grant him that power."

Kaimu nodded his head emotionlessly. "Yes Taicho, it shall be done." He stood to leave, but then paused. "Taicho, there is someone who might inhibit our plans."

The figure tilted his head to the side. "Oh, and who might that be?"

"I watched the battle in which Mizuki was beaten and sent to the hospital, and there's something you should know. The person who beat him was a young boy named Uzumaki Naruto. He is the container of the Kyuubi no Yoko."

The figure seemed surprised for a moment, but then began to laugh. The laughing continued to reverberate throughout the entire room. After a moment, he finally settled down. "Oh yes, so he did survive? Then this boy, who you seem to think of as a hindrance to our cause, is actually the key to unlimited power."

Kaimu stared at the figure, no emotion crossing his face as he spoke. "Does it have anything to do with your incident seven years ago? The one which forced you to leave Konoha, and made you strong enough to become leader of our group?"

The man simply leaned back in his seat, contently sighing as he remembered the boy. "Yes, that incident is why I escaped. But now, under this freedom, I am able to use the power that I have to do with as I please. To gain more power in whatever way I please. And now that I have this new information, we must obtain Uzumaki Naruto…by any means necessary."

Kaimu nodded. "It shall be done Taicho."

As he turned around the figure raised a hand, halting Kaimu. "Kaimu, focus on Mizuki first. The boy is nothing right now, and will never be able to become as strong as our organization. He is shunned by his own people, despite the raw power that he possesses. Had they thought it through and used him for their own means, no one would be able to oppose them. However, because they will not use him, he has become a fair target to anyone who desires his power."

Kaimu nodded. "Then we will make plans to obtain such power?"

The figure nodded. "Yes dear Kaimu, we will prepare for the oncoming destruction of the ninja nations, and for the rebirth of them in the form of peace. We will allow him to roam free for the time being, but as soon as we being Stage Two, we will focus more on getting him."

"Yes, Taicho. We will wait until you tell us to make a move; until then, he may walk in peace." A slight gleam suddenly entered his eyes as his voice suddenly turned almost feral. "I will go now, and obtain our informant. He will do well to join us once we've freed him."

The figure waved his hand. "You are getting too anxious; go and get Mizuki. I will worry about Stage Two."

Kaimu bowed and quickly made his way to the surface to do his lords bidding.

Meanwhile, a shadow suddenly appeared behind the figure. The shadow figure had the appearance of a man within a fly-trap-like body, which was split down the middle in black and white. The figure recognized it as the Kagerou no Jutsu. "So, the Kyuubi brat is in Konoha?"

The figure frowned. "Yes Zetsu he is. But then, you and your organization have known about that all along, haven't you?"

Zetsu glanced at the man. "Yes. We've known for a long time; since Orochimaru was in our organization."

The figure smirked. "Ah, that name brings back memories. Tell me, is it true that he tried to take over Uchiha Itachi's body, and lost his hand?"

Zetsu suddenly snorted. "_**Wouldn't you like to know?**__"_

The figure sighed. "Forgive me; I'm never certain who I am addressing at the moment. However, I would like to have an answer to my question. Otherwise, our funding of your organization will cease. If you were to kill me for asking something as trivial as that, then I'm sure someone who's less approving of your methods will be made as my replacement. Wouldn't that be fun?" He sent a glare at Zetsu, not afraid of the S-ranked ninja that stood behind him.

After a moment of staring each other down, Zetsu grinned. "_**Fine then. The answer to your question is yes.**_"

The figure nodded. "You see, that wasn't so hard. Of course, I will give you something in return." Zetsu tilted his head to the side, waiting for the information. "Orochimaru is currently hiding in Ta no Kuni, the Rice Field Country."

Zetsu grinned. "Thank you for that information. Now I must go; my superiors will wish to hear of this."

The figure grinned. "And I'll be waiting for anything else they need us too do." As Zetsu faded back into the wall, his grin widened. "Yes Zetsu, I'm most certain that we will meet again soon. However, I hope that you'll eventually allow me to do something soon. My chakra is boiling and if I don't use it, I'll be unhappy. After all, nothing less than the sweet sound of thousands of screams will satisfy my thirst."

Once again, he began to laugh loudly. However, this time the for destruction was laced within his voice as it carried throughout the entire base.

**Taijutsu**

**Sennen Goroshi - One Thousand Years of /Pain**

Rank: E

Though it is called "Leaf's Ancient Supreme Technique", Sennen Goroshi serves more as an insulting shock technique rather than a skilled Taijutsu technique. The ninja forms their hands into the seal of the tiger, and then jabs their fingers into the nether regions of their target. The result is shocking violation of the targets sanctity and often their launching in the air to stop the awkward feeling.

**Ninjutsu**

**Oiroke Bunshin no Jutsu – y Clone Technique**

Like the Oiroke no Jutsu, this technique is meant to seduce 's into submission by way of massive loss. Unlike the original version, this version has clothes on, albeit very revealing clothes, and is more than just a variation of the Henge technique. Naruto uses the seal for the Kage Bunshin, and then the seal for the Oiroke to for this jutsu. Naruto got the idea from a woman named Mitarashi Anko who wore only a fishnet shirt and trench coat giving guys a not too revealing peek at what was underneath, with the same result as his Oiroke technique.

**Kagerou – Mayfly**

Rank: Unknown

Kagerou is a Ninjutsu technique which allows Zetsu to merge with the ground and surrounding objects such as rock and trees. This allows him to spy on his targets without their being aware of his presence.

* * *

Yay! Chapter 4 is up! Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it!

Hehehe, I really enjoyed writing this chapter simply because of...BLACKMAIL! I could just see the expression of shock and despration on Neji's face...I hope I discribed it right. (shrugg) Oh, and the reactions for the 'hippy' suit. They've been customized for laughs, so please don't complain. Also, I would like more reviews, so if you want to flame, suggest pairing, or just say hello, GO AHEAD. It's not like it's going to hurt you...or myself.

Anyway, Naruto's second origional jutsu! Yes, I know. Cannon's second is the Harem no Jutsu; but the explination should give you a little hint as to why this technique is just as effective! However...I'm not sure when I can use it again.

Anyways, ja ne!

Draco Kamikaze


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! It's me, Draco Kamikaze! And this is the next installment of Naruto: The Flame Soldier! Please, sit back and enjoy the story!**

I don't own Naruto.

_**Naruto: The Flame Soldier**__  
_**C-Ranked Mission: Training  
**Draco Kamikaze

Naruto glanced around. It had been two months since he, Neji, and Tenten had become a team, and started performing missions. In fact, he was currently on a mission . . . one that would determine the amount of pay that he would get for the day.

"Panda to Ramen, come in ramen. Over."

Naruto grinned as he switched his radio to send. "Ramen here. What's the status on our target Panda? Over."

"Ten meters, no more. Bird has found that there is only one way for it to run if we attack it now. We just have to wait for Green Leader to give the word. Over."

"Understood Panda. Over." Naruto quickly switched his radio to another setting. "Green Leader, this is Ramen. We have the target in sight, how should we proceed? Over."

"This is Green Leader, check identification. Over."

"This is Bird. Identification confirmed Green Leader. Over."

"You have the green light, obtain target now. Remember, the target must be taken alive, and unharmed. Over."

Naruto nodded, although no one other than Neji could see it. "Ramen to team. Green Leader gave us the green light, all go. Over."

"This is Bird, the target knows our position. It is on the move! Go, go, go!"

Naruto quickly jumped out of the bushes he'd been hiding in, followed quickly by two other blurs. Moving quickly, they ambushed their target.

Said target realized what was happening a moment to late. With a loud yell, the poor cat was scooped up into Naruto's arms. Thankfully, they didn't have to stop to identify and make sure that this cat was the right cat, so Naruto's face remained unharmed for the time being as they ran back to the Hokage's Tower.

* * *

"Oh! You've returned my precious Tora! Oh, thank you shinobi-san."

Naruto was silently chanting that the cat would finally be put out of its misery as the Daimyo's wife squeezed the poor cat tighter and tighter. Neji was trying to avoid similar thoughts, as they would be un-Hyuuga-like. And Tenten . . . was off in her own little world about how cute it was that the Daimyo's wife loved her cat so much. And Gai was in _his_ own little world, where he was silently raving about how his students 'springtime's of youth' were showing from this woman's happiness.

Naruto groaned when she finally put the cat down, and into its kennel. He was going to have to retrieve that cat again soon. Sure, it helped pay the bills, but there was very little excitement from chasing down a cat. Especially when whenever he tried and make it into a , Neji would suddenly announce that he'd found it. He loathed Neji and his stinking eyes.

But, he wasn't going to complain just yet. He'd managed to go for two months now without complaining, and he wanted to stretch himself to the limit now more than ever. Of course, it helped when your sensei helped you pass the time by beating you to a pulp ever day.

It was true, every day at _exactly_ five o'clock, Naruto would be woken up by Gai charging through the door in a comical fashion yelling about the 'springtime of youth' until Naruto was fully awake. Needless to say, being a heavy sleeper was the first habit that he broke under Gai's guidance.

Then, as soon as he was up, Gai was practically dragging poor Naruto around Konoha to do one hundred laps. In the beginning, Naruto complained about how sore he was becoming; until Gai decided to take a quick break. Meaning that they would do one hundred push-ups every time Naruto complained. And the more he put off the inevitable, the harder it became when he actually had to face it.

The inevitable was that Gai got himself going by training every morning. Before, he'd just do insane amount of basic work out exercises, or more complicated taijutsu forms. But with Naruto as his student, he wanted the 'fun' way; having Naruto spar him. These skirmishes ended badly in the beginning, with Naruto beaten different shades of black and blue, and Gai yelling about how his youth must have been too strong for his poor student. Now however, he could actually hold his own for a short period of time. Sure, he was always on the defense during those spars, but at least he was learning stuff.

And that was just one thing that had improved over the last two months. The other, probably more important thing that he'd learned more about was his basic education. The simple things that had gone completely over his head for the last five years had to be explained again by his team mates. But the thing was, the second time he actually got what they were trying to say. Neji preferred not to do much, as he was still in 'high and mighty' mode, but Tenten wanted Naruto to succeed just as much as Naruto himself wanted to. And, after spending a lot of time around the , it eventually led to Naruto's new and current passion: Fuuinjutsu.

The reasoning behind this was actually very simple; the better sealer you were, the more sharp, pointy objects you could carry around without having them slow you down. Unfortunately, Naruto was having a little bit of trouble performing the actually 'sealing' technique. On a brighter note, he was excelling at creating paper . Lots, and lots of paper .

Naruto grinned darkly. He still remembered how it had taken both Neji and Tenten to hold him back from blowing Kakashi dom come when he'd first finished learning the technique. It was really funny to think of how Neji was forced to _tackle _him in a very un-Hyuuga-like manner in order to stop him. Ah, good times.

Neji and Tenten sighed. Naruto's mood had changed, and he had _that_ look on his face. Added up, it meant he was thinking of different ways to blow Kakashi up. They would have to be on guard for a while. And, thanks to their training, they could do so if they worked together.

While still believing that people's Fates were predetermined, Neji had voiced it much less. This was usually due to the fact that he was dodging kunai and shuriken, courtesy of Tenten. They spent all of their time training together, and Neji had begun to show some improvement in his taijutsu, which was practically the only thing he'd worked on. He'd been watching the main branch members, and was beginning to recreate the Hakkeshou Kaiten, the ultimate defense of the main branch. He wasn't exactly doing well; however, the progress he was making was better than anything most Hyuuga would be able to do by themselves.

Tenten on the other hand, had one main talent when she got out of the Academy: perfect accuracy. She could hit everything and anything she aimed at. Her main weakness was in close combat, but was making up for it by training with her father in all kinds of basic kenjutsu styles. He planed on molding her into a person who could be hit by anything, and be able to retaliate no matter what the situation was.

The second thing she was also proficient at was using sealing scrolls to hold the massive amount of weapons that she carried around with her. During her training with Neji, she was getting faster at unsealing her weapons, trying to make sure that Neji didn't have a chance to regroup. Her physical speed was increasing as well, far beyond what it had been in the Academy days. Gai would often cry about how his 'Springtime of Youth' was rewarding him with a kunochi who could not only perform well during missions, but wasn't like other s who only concerned themselves with chasing after some guy.

A moment later, the daimyo's wife finally paid for the mission and left, leaving Team 9 and Gai in front of the Hokage. After looking through a couple of different papers, the Hokage finally found something. "Ah, we have several new missions that you could perform today. We have three people who need their lawns weeded, several people who would like their dogs walked, and the river looks like it needs to be cleaned again."

"Hokage-sama, may I say something?"

Everyone looked at Gai in confusion. He usually just let his team choose a mission, and then yell about how youthful they were. For him to make a suggestion of any kind was something they would want to hear.

"Yes Gai, do you have something you wish to say?"

"Yes Hokage-sama. I believe that my team is ready for their first C-Ranked mission."

There was silence. No one dared to speak for fear of bringing everyone's attention to themselves.

Naruto was lost because he wasn't sure if he'd heard his sensei correctly. Usually it was the _Genin_ who asked to get a C-Ranked mission because the D-ranked ones were so boring. A thought slowly came up in his head. _Does he think that we're really ready for this?_

Tenten stood there like a statue, afraid of moving. She wanted a C-Ranked mission as much as the next Genin, but even so she didn't want to be unprepared for it. She quickly went over her list of weapons that might be necessary to take.

Neji just stood there, looking as emotionless as possible. On the inside however, he was raging. It was too soon for a C-Ranked mission. He was more than certain that he, and his team mates, could handle this mission; there was no doubt about that. But he needed more time to get the last of the training done; he still had to teach Naruto proper manners!

Sarutobi stared at Gai for a second; trying to determine wither or not Gai was serious. As soon as he was one hundred percent sure that he wasn't kidding, he grinned. "Well, I suppose that you always were one for firsts. But, if you believe that they are ready, I'm sure that I can find a mission suited for your specialty." Sarutobi picked through another stack of papers, not glancing up as he continued. "Why don't you meet back here in an hour? It will give you enough time to get the equipment that you'll need for a week or two, as well as inform your parents of this development. You're dismissed."

* * *

"Um, guys? Do you mind if I ask you something?"

Neji and Tenten glanced at their normally energetic friend. He looked quite solemn as he stared at the ground. It wasn't unusual for him to do this when he was thinking of something about himself. It was starting to become a habit that he'd picked up, as he compared himself to Gai-sensei and how many of his actions were similar to how Gai acted. That thought always sent a small shiver up his spine. "Um, sure Naruto. What's up?"

Naruto shifted around uncomfortably. "Um . . . do you guys think . . . that I'm the weakest link in this team?"

Tenten winced. That was usually a question where you want to comfort the person, and tell them that it wasn't true. But Naruto was the sort of person who'd prefer to get hit head on, rather than get ambushed when he wasn't looking; even though he was able to handle both just fine thanks to Gai's training.

Neji however, had no qualms with speaking his mind. "Yes, you are in fact the weakest link on our team."

Tenten glared at Neji. They could never be sure of how Naruto would react to any given situation, and so it was never any good to say things that might bring him into a dark emo-like depression. However, before she could say anything, Naruto spoke up. "Thank you for being honest Neji. However, please don't look down on me just for that; it wouldn't do to have my team mates defending me because I'm too weak to do so myself. Besides, you guys and Gai-sensei have taught me well enough, right?"

Neji was slightly thrown off at how mature Naruto sounded. It just seemed foreign to the boy, who was known for slurping loudly as he ate his ramen. He could only assume that his and Tenten's presence, and support of him were having a kind of effect that neither them, nor anyone else could have expected; he was becoming more mature at a faster rate.

In fact, most people had expected an entirely different reaction. They had expected Naruto to become a mini Gai, and help him annoy the village with cries of youth. Many Jonin and Chunin had begged the Hokage for a mission just to get out of the village, and away from the chaos that was to ensue. Anyone who couldn't took cover from the oncoming explosion. Except, it didn't happen.

Neji and Tenten had been the cause of Naruto's difference. If he'd simply stayed around Gai all the time, he would probably have become some taijutsu/work-out freak who Neji and Tenten would have been embarrassed to be seen with. However, since Naruto didn't know anything about them, he'd found it necessary to stick around them, and find out the things that he would've known if he'd been in their class. It made them a better team, as well as gave Naruto a fighting chance against Gai and all things abnormal.

As Neji was on this thought, another one came back. "Oh Naruto-san, there is something I want to do on our trip. You may want to look at this as a training exercise to a technique you have yet to master.

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Really? What's the technique? Is it difficult? WHY WON'T YOU ANSWER ME!?!"

Tenten sweat dropped. "Naruto, you need to give him time to speak. Take a deep breath."

Neji nodded. "Thanks. Anyways, the technique is called etiquette."

Naruto scratched his head. "Eti . . . what? What kind of word is that?"

Tenten sighed. "Naruto, it means your manners. How you eat, how you act in public, stuff like that."

Naruto pouted. "Why should I learn that kind of stuff? It's not like I'm going to be invited by someone important for dinner anytime soon. And besides, I wouldn't have anything formal to wear to it."

"Well then, I'll ask Hiashi-sama if he would give us a day after our mission is done so that you may pick out an appropriate outfit." Neji said, reviling in the confused and shocked faces of Naruto and Tenten respectively.

"W-wait. Are you saying that the Hyuuga clan head . . . wants to meet with Naruto?" Tenten asked.

Neji blinked. "No, he wants to meet the entire team. He said something about finally being considered shinobi or something, but he muttered it so I couldn't hear clearly."

Naruto suddenly perked up. "Wait, are you talking about the _Hyuuga clan head_? The guy who is supposedly the strongest Hyuuga?"

Neji nodded. "Yes, and that reputation is . . . well deserved." Naruto and Tenten couldn't help but glance at each other. They'd never heard Neji speak in such a spiteful tone before.

Naruto coughed, trying to change the mood. "So, he wants to meet us after our mission? Um, how formal do you think we should go?"

Neji shook his head. "You don't have any formal clothing right now, and it would be impertinent to get you anything until after we've completed our mission."

Naruto glanced at Tenten who sighed. "He's saying that there isn't any reason to buy you fancy clothes right now because you won't need them on our mission."

Naruto grinned. "Oh, why didn't you just say so?"

Neji's eyebrow twitched. "I did say so."

Naruto ignored him as he suddenly started running off. "Well, I've got to go pack! See you later guys!"

Both Neji and Tenten glanced at each other in confusion. After a second, Neji spoke up. "Has he figured out how to seal thing yet?"

Tenten tapped her chin thoughtfully. "He can't do anything more than weapons just yet. But if the object is big enough, he doesn't really have to worry about the complex portions of it. So, he shouldn't have too much to bring."

There was a long pause as they both stared at each other. Finally, Neji spoke. "Ten bucks says that his pack is nearly busting at the seams when he arrives."

Tenten grinned. "You're on!"

Both of them continued to chat till they reached Tenten's home, and Neji continued on in silence, not once realizing how un-Hyuuga-like he'd sounded just moments before.

* * *

Naruto was skipping along happily. It was going to be his first C-Ranked mission; he had to prepare accordingly. Not too much stuff, but enough that he wouldn't die. He silently wished that he'd paid more attention to the basics of fuuinjutsu that Tenten had taught him. It would definitely help him to get everything into a smaller space.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he nearly ran into Kakashi as he turned a corner. Luckily for both of them, they had experience with these kinds of encounters, and were able to avoid hitting each other.

Kakashi glanced at Naruto. "Hey Naruto, what's up?"

Naruto grinned. "Not much Kakashi-san. Just getting ready for my first C-Ranked mission!"

Contrary to popular belief, Naruto and Kakashi got along just fine. It was when their lives came down to the business of Kakashi's Make-Out Paradise book that their relations always got stretched. However, it always came back to the spirit of things as Kakashi had yet to kill Naruto from the numerous times that he'd stolen his book.

And another thing people didn't know was that Kakashi would give Naruto advice from time to time, on things that weren't in his direct control. The sort of things that could possibly get the boy killed, for example.

"Hey Naruto, I want to tell you something."

Naruto blinked, before quickly becoming serious. "Yes Kakashi?

"When you're on your mission depending on what it is, I want you to remember something. If you get into a fight, don't hesitate. React to how the situation plays out, and you'll be able to keep your team mates from getting hurt for your actions. Remember, your team is more important than you mission. Those who disobey the rules are trash, but those who betray their team mates are worse than trash."

Naruto nodded. "Thank you Kakashi, I'll remember that. Have a good day."

Kakashi nodded as he turned his attention back to his book. He really wished that Naruto hadn't graduated early; it would've been a lot easier on his conscience for him to have him under his wing. But then, as much as he disliked Gai and his methods, he was one of the very few people who he would trust with Naruto's safety. After all who else but his rival, someone who could be considered equal to him in strength, would be better to protect his sensei's son?

* * *

Neji bowed before Hiashi as he entered his room. He wasn't required to do so, but he felt it necessary as he was trying to get on Hiashi's 'good side' before he left. After all, while he'd never seen him mad, he did understand that he never _wanted_ to see him mad.

Hiashi raised an eyebrow as he watched Neji's formal display. He understood what it meant, and quietly waited for him to begin.

"Hiashi-sama, Gai-sensei has recommended us for a C-Ranked mission."

Hiashi inwardly smiled. _So that's what you're worried about Neji? You're going on your first C-Ranked mission. No, you're here for something else; something more important._ "That is good news," Hiashi said, turning as though he were about to walk to the dojo. But he stopped halfway as he continued. "But, why is it that you seem troubled?"

Neji winced. He really had wanted to think out how he'd say this beforehand. "Well, you see . . . when exactly do you wish to meet my team after the mission?" He said, slowly picking out the words that would be best used for that situation.

Hiashi shrugged. "If you are asking if you and your team should come directly to our estate after your mission, please do not. I would prefer it if you and your team took some time to make themselves ready for such a meeting. The day after would be best." He turned back to Neji. "You have told you team of this, correct?"

Neji winced. "Hai Hiashi-sama . . . however, I have yet to tell my sensei of this. Gomen nasai."

Hiashi just nodded. "It would probably be better for you to tell him outside of the village where he cannot cause any harm. We would prefer him not getting the wrong idea."

Neji nodded. "Hai Hiashi-sama. I will make sure that my team is well prepared for that day." He glanced at a clock on the other side of the room. "If you'll excuse Hiashi-sama, I must now be going to prepare. Good day."

As soon as Neji had left the room, Hiashi sighed. "Good luck Neji . . . I just hope that you find something suitable for Naruto before the dinner. It would do him good to believe he is making a good first impression."

_

* * *

One Hour Later_

Naruto was whistling a happy tune as he and his team made their way out of the village. From what the Hokage had told them, he'd been right in packing only the necessities. That, and Neji's expression as he gave Tenten ten bucks. He could only guess that he was the basis of some bet, and Neji had lost.

Naruto sighed as they approached the gates, a sudden sinking feeling in his gut. He had never been away from home before; he suddenly felt slightly empty inside. He wasn't sure if it was more because he'd be leaving the village, or his oji-san, but it still was a new experience that he'd have to think about later.

He glanced at his team mates. Neji looked calm as ever, a light pack on his back as well as what appeared to be a full pouch full of kunai. Tenten wasn't carrying a sack, as all of her stuff had been sealed into various scrolls, which could then be further sealed into scrolls, thus saving a lot of space. And Gai . . .

"Naruto-kun! It is time to further expand your springtime of youth! In my pack, I have a new set of weights that are designed to get heavier depending on how much chakra you put into them! I've already set it to three hundred pounds above what you are currently at!"

Naruto grimaced as he heard Tenten giggle behind him. It wasn't his fault that his sensei was a complete freak of nature that'd somehow chosen him to be his training guinea pig; he was just 'lucky' like that.

"Gai-sensei, what exactly is our mission?" Naruto asked, tilting his head to the side. He vaguely remembered what the Hokage had said.

_Flashback_

_Gai glanced at the Hokage. "Well Hokage-sama; have you found a mission worthy of our flames of youth?"_

_Sarutobi nodded. "While this mission would be simple for you Gai, your purpose is to let your Genin handle the actual battling."_

"_Eh? Why would that be Hokage-sama?" Gai said, looking rather confused._

_Naruto blinked as well. "Oji-san, isn't the whole reason for having a sensei based around the fact that he'll make sure we don't die?"_

_Sarutobi chuckled. "That may be true Naruto, but Gai is going to have to analyze your team and how you fight. He will be allowed to intervene only if you are in over your heads, and seriously need help. Otherwise, I believe that you will have no problems."_

"_And what if you're wrong?" Tenten asked, fear obvious in her tone._

_The Hokage gently smiled. "Then I will have placed my faith in the wrong people. Or rather, the wrong person."_

_Everyone glanced at Naruto, who gave them a confident smile. "Don't worry oji-san! We'll be fine, and will finish this mission without any problems!"_

_Sarutobi chuckled. "Well then, you mission is to travel to the border of Hi no Kuni. There have been several raids in the city of Hiroshima, and they have asked for shinobi assistance. This is a C Ranked mission, so expect conflict with thieves and other such people. You are to leave immediately."_

_End Flashback_

Naruto had definitely understood what his oji-san had been talking about when he said that he'd placed his faith in the right person, but he wasn't sure now. Tenten hadn't said it out loud, but she was concerned with them _dying_ on this mission due to inexperience. After all it was an occupational hazard that they had to deal with all the time. Every day when you were on Gai's team.

Naruto chuckled. There was no way that he would die; after all, the thieves couldn't move as fast as Gai-sensei did during their training. If they could, they would probably have to be called shinobi for moving that fast. Or at the very least highly trained, and experienced fighters.

Neji glanced at him. "What's so funny?"

Naruto glanced back at him, the grin still plastered to his face. "Oh, nothing. Just imagining one of the different scenarios of why you would've had to give Tenten ten bucks."

Neji raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what exactly were you thinking of?"

Naruto knew that he'd probably pay for this latter, but right now he really didn't care. "Oh, just that you had to guess what color Tenten's bra was. I'm guessing you said pink."

Tenten blushed, her anger quickly sparking. "Naruto~" She whispered dangerously.

Neji looked quite offended. "That's a preposterous statement. Tenten's bra is light blue!"

There was a long . . . eerie silence that suddenly fell over the group. It took a moment for Neji to realize what he'd said, while Naruto was trying desperately not to laugh. Tenten however, wasn't sure what to do, and her face said so. On one hand, her evil aura had risen; on the other, she had a deep crimson blush on her face.

When Neji notice this, he gawked, realizing the implications of her silence. "Wait, so your bra really is light blue? I was just guessing!"

Tenten blinked. "Y-you were?" Just as fast as the evil aura had come, it quickly left. "Oh, well I guess I can't blame you for that."

Naruto watched her quietly skip forward to walk next to Gai. As soon as he was sure that she couldn't hear them, he leaned over to Neji. "Nice save. By the way, when does she wear a pink bra?"

Neji growled, although any power behind it was lost by the blush that adorned his face. "Shut up." Then, slowly, he spoke up again. "Every Saturday and Sunday . . . happy?"

Naruto just chuckled as they continued on to Hiroshima; he wouldn't tell Tenten about this development just yet, but during their private moments, he was going to milk it for all it was worth.

_

* * *

The Next Day_

Naruto glanced around in awe. Hiroshima was nothing like Konoha, and yet it held a beauty all on its own. It was unique; making even the most inexpensive thing look like it was designed for a king. The houses were quaint; each of them looking like it was made for some high official, like the Hyuuga and Uchiha. There was so little used and so little time seemed to be needed; yet the combined effect was what awed him.

If only it were bigger.

It confused him to no end how such a small place could sufficiently function in a place like this. It had to be at least the size of the Hyuuga compound; even then that was a stretch. There was more than enough stuff to go around, but by the way everyone glanced around, they were in a constant state of fear and paranoia.

"Hey Gai-sensei, why does everyone look so nervous?" Naruto asked, noticing that as a few people noticed them, they would quickly scurry away.

Gai didn't seem to notice. "Obviously these thieves are acting in a very unyouthful manner, attacking whenever they wish in order to cause panic among the villagers. We must show them the springtime of YOUTH!"

Tenten glanced around, finally noticing how people reacted to them. "Uh, Gai-sensei? Why is everyone staring at us like that? It's like they're afraid of us."

Gai scratched his chin. "Maybe they aren't used to foreigners walking around. We should look for good disguises in order to blend in before the thieves come!"

Neji shook his head. "Why don't we just use a Henge to disguise ourselves? It would be easier, and cost less."

Naruto looked into the shops, taking notice of different things. "Yea, that's true Neji. After all Gai-sensei, if we just change our appearance, Neji will stick out like a sore thumb. I mean, who has pale white eyes in these parts?"

Hearing no response, he turned back to Gai. Unsurprisingly, he had waterfalls of tears streaming down his cheeks. "Yosh! My most youthful student has made an excellent point where as I made an excellent error! I must do one hundred push-ups in a handstand to raise my youthfulness!"

Tenten sighed. "Is he ever going to act normally?"

Neji shook his head. "Nope."

"Excuse me, are you the shinobi?"

They quickly turned around, surprised by how blunt this person had been. However, when Gai saw him, he became solemn, focusing his full attention on the man. This quickly sent a warning that what was going to be discussed was important; Gai was never this serious unless it was really, _really_ important.

"Yes, we are. To whom am I speaking?" Gai said, looking the man over.

The man chuckled, seeming to notice the seriousness in the atmosphere. "No need to worry! I am Akiyo Fusao; I am the one who asked for you to come."

Neji nodded, deciding to quickly get down to business. If he knew how much time he had, he could get as much as he could do. "What exactly is the situation here?"

Fusao sighed. "It seems that every day is worse than before. They attack whenever they get bored of doing nothing, and attack without reason. We don't know when they'll strike again, or where they come from in the first place. All that we know is that they keep on coming . . . even after the valuables are gone, they come for more."

"I'm not sure what you mean." Tenten said warily, not liking the implications of what he was saying.

"Ah, but you do. You see, if a place has nothing of value, they do whatever they please. This means that they en and children, while taking the woman back to their hideout to do who knows what to them. I guess that is simply the life of a thief."

Naruto tried not to growl. He didn't like the thought of what those men might have been doing; it disgusted him. He might not have been the smartest person around, but he still knew when . . . certain acts, were being abused.

The very thought sent a chill up his spine. He couldn't understand why, but it suddenly felt like something inside him was stirring; something that could get out of hand quickly. He took a deep breath. _Remember, a shinobi cannot afford to get stressed out in critical situations. If I do, I won't be a helpful member of this team._

"Are you sure that you have no idea where they come from?" Neji asked, looking a little skeptical.

Fusao nodded. "We sent out scouting parties, but they never could find out where they were hiding. It's almost like they know when we are coming."

Tenten gave him a kind smile. "It'll be okay now; we are going to do everything we can to stop this. Right guys?"

Neji nodded while Naruto grinned grimly. "Right."

"YOSH!!! WE WILL NOT STOP UNTIL THIS MISSION IS COMPLETED!!! IF WE MUST, I'LL –"

"Will you shut up!?" Tenten yelled, slamming a hammer into Gai's head.

Naruto sweat dropped. "Wow, she's gotten really fast at unsealing things, hasn't she Neji?"

Neji nodded, wincing as he remembered several close encounters he'd had during their private training sessions. Quite a few had been aimed 'where the sun don't shine'; which was all the more reason to be cautious. After all, blunted kunai or not, it still hurt when you got hit by them.

Gai suddenly jumped up. "Yosh! Follow me my youthful students! I have something's I wish to speak with you about."

The three of them looked at each other curiously, before running after Gai. Fusao smiled. "What nice people; I'm sure we won't have much trouble with them around."

* * *

"Yosh! Do you know why we've come to this area?" Gai said, pointing towards the ground.

Tenten grasped her knees, gasping for breath. "N…no. Wh…why sh…should we k…know about s…some stupid…clearing? We've never…been here before."

Neji leaned against a tree, trying desperately to suck in some air. Tenten and himself hadn't spent much time with Naruto and Gai turning Gai's 'torture sessions', and hadn't built up enough stamina to run ten miles and act like it was nothing.

On the other hand, Naruto could. "Is it because you want to teach us something important Gai-sensei? Like; trap making, ambush tactics, or a cool jutsu!?" He was practically bouncing around as he waited for Gai to answer.

Gai tried not to sweat drop himself. How was it that this boy's stamina could have grown so much in so little time? It was impossible for almost anyone else to get to a level that was even close to a third of his speed in this short period of time; maybe an Uchiha, but there were only two left, and he didn't have to worry about one of them . . . for now. And yet, here he was; training hard, and quickly pushing himself to become stronger. Truly, his 'springtime of youth' must be practically overflowing right now!

"Yosh! Mostly the last one! I plan on teaching each of you a special technique!" As Gai spoke, he pulled out two scrolls. On one scroll, was the kanji for water; the other was for Katon. "The 'water' scroll is for Neji and Tenten. They are to perform the Suimen Hokou no Waza (Act of Water Surface Walking), as all of you have already learned Kinobori no Waza (Act of Tree Climbing). Naruto, since you have already learned both due to the horrible control you had early in your training, you will be learning a jutsu."

Naruto's eyes widened, and a small amount of drool was starting to form in the corner of his mouth. He had yet to learn a jutsu since he'd learned the jutsu's from the Scroll of Sealing, and had wanted to learn _something_ other than taijutsu for the past two months. And now, finally, Gai was going to give him a jutsu. "What jutsu is it? Tell me~!!!"

Gai smiled at Naruto. For a moment, they swore his face twisted in pain and sadness; but it passed so quickly that they brushed it off…for now. "It isn't necessarily an easy jutsu to learn. It is a - ed Katon jutsu, known as the **Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu**. This is a jutsu that was originally created by the Uchiha to show that they are no longer a child. This is was an important ceremony for the Uchiha at their peak."

Unsurprisingly, Naruto's face was between a scowl, and a grin. A scowl, because his rivalry with Sasuke had not died down just yet; they would glare each other down any time they passed each other. And a grin, because if he was able to perform this technique, Sasuke would have to recognize that he was no longer someone who he could kid around with…if he continued to follow his clan traditions. Of course, it didn't really count since he was outside of his clan; but knowing just the right spots to press was a great way to add fuel to the fires of their rivalry.

After weighing the two thoughts against each other, he grinned. "Alright, gimme the scroll. I'm going to find some water so I won't hurt anyone while I practice."

Gai grinned as Naruto ed the scroll and took off. As he ran off, Neji and Tenten thought they heard him yelling something along the lines of 'payback, suckers'. But that would be crazy…right?

As they noticed the excited grin on Gai's face, they quickly realized that it might not have been as crazy as they though it would be.

* * *

After nearly a half hour of searching, Naruto finally found a body of water that was a decent distance away from the village, and where his team mates were training. Feeling giddy, he quickly sat down at the edge of the lake and opened the scroll.

"Let's see…ah, here it is! 'This Ninjutsu technique utilizes the fire element in order to create a large fire ball. In order to perform this jutsu, one must perform the necessary hand seals, before drawing chakra from their mouths into their chest and quickly expel the air with the chakra in it. To better manage the flame, one may put their hand to their mouth to control it.' Well, this doesn't seem so hard!"

Naruto glanced over the hand seals, nodding as he memorized them. Grinning widely, he put the scroll away and began to slowly perform the seals. After a couple seconds, he ended on the 'tiger' seal. Drawing the necessary chakra, he took a deep breath.

"**Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu**!"

The result was less than spectacular. Instead of the giant fireball he expected, he found himself blowing out nothing more than a large cloud of smoke; some of which he inhaled in surprise. Coughing and wheezing, he gave himself a moment to recover before thinking over what he'd done wrong.

Two months ago, like when he'd performed the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**, he just beat it out by trial and error till it worked. But after his training with Neji and Tenten, he'd learned to feel how his chakra moved, and from that he was able to perform the Kinobori no Waza (Act of Tree Climbing) and the Suimen Hokou no Waza (Act of Water Surface Walking) faster than if he had done otherwise.

This however, was different. He could tell because instead of the normal form that it would take, this jutsu was trying to change. He had never had his chakra try this before, and it confused him. Why would it need to change?

Scratching his head, he pulled out the scroll and read it over again. Then, he got into a 'thinking position'. He was doing all of the correct seals, molding the chakra correctly, and expelling it correctly. After a while, he figured that he wouldn't be able to figure it out without doing it again.

Quickly performing the seals, he expelled the chakra in the same manner as before. Like before, a large cloud of smoke came out, obscuring his view. But since he knew that it might happen, he was prepared to hold his breath. After a moment, it finally cleared up and gave him a chance to think of what he'd done wrong.

He could feel that he was doing everything right, but there was some part of it that wasn't moving in the right way. Growling, he pulled out a kunai and began to spin it by its ring. After a couple of seconds, he drew back his hand and chucked it to the side; away from the lake.

He heard a small grinding noise from where he'd thrown it and sighed. His kunai were dull as it was, doing stupid things like that wasn't going to help. Quickly walking over, he began to search for his kunai.

After a moment of searching, he finally found it. However, something else caught his attention for a moment, and he couldn't help but stare at it for a moment. In the grass, not too far away from his kunai, was a small patch of grass. In the grass, was a small group of sparks, faintly burning.

Leaning over to the sparks, he gave them a slow breath; feeding them a little extra air. Within moments, a small fire started to grow. Naruto watched the fire, amazed by this new discovery before putting it out.

Suddenly, his head snapped up, a grin on his face. He knew what he'd been doing wrong now; when he pulled back the chakra from his mouth, he was pulling too much chakra, and as such, it wasn't able to 'ignite' the rest of the chakra he'd built up in his chest.

Quickly running over to the waters edge, he performed the necessary seals. Drawing as little chakra as he could from his mouth to mix in with the large amount in his chest, he took a deep breath. "**Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu**!"

As he exhaled, he was kindly rewarded with a fireball just barely larger than himself. After holding it for nearly a minute, he had to stop to catch his breath. Staring at the spot where he'd performed the jutsu, he grinned. "YOSH! I DID IT! I AM SO AWSOME!!!"

After a couple of seconds dancing, he froze. "Holy crap, I'm sounding like Gai-sensei again! I'd better clear my head! **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!"

As the hundreds of clones came into existence, they began the battle royal meant to clear his head of 'Gai's youthful thinking'.

**

* * *

AN: This is the first part of the C-Ranked mission; the next part will involve the actual fighting.**

**As you can see, Naruto is progressing under Gai's tutelage at a much faster pace than he was under Kakashi's. This is simply because Naruto is the only one who can literally beat some sense into his own head to reverse the effects from overexposure to Gai. However, unlike in cannon, Naruto doesn't spend all of his time trying to fight Neji, or train with Gai. He spends time learning from both to better understand what he's doing. In result, we have something closer to the 'mature' version we see after the time skip.**

**Also, I've had a request for Naruto to have some kind of new 'weapon' to go with his fighting style. I've got no idea what sort of thing would work, but just to see what my viewers think, please review and tell me what weapon Naruto should have to go with his Hoken later in the story.**

**And now for the new jutsu's:**

**Ninjutsu**

**Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu – Great Fireball Technique**

Rank: C

Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Fire Element. The ninja does the necessary hand seals; draws chakra from their mouth into their chest and them immediately exhales it. They then blow a stream of fire which erupts into a large sphere of flames. To better manage the flames the ninja will bring their hand to their mouth to control it.

Katon jutsu such as this are seen as a rite of passage into hood for Uchiha clan members. Once the member can manipulate fire, they are finally recognized as no longer being a child.

**Other Skills**

**Kinobori no Waza -Act of Tree Climbing**

Rank: Unknown

Kinobori no Waza, the art of tree climbing serves a dual purpose. Taking part in Kinobori Shugyou (Tree Climbing Training) helps a ninja learn how to focus their chakra. It also teaches the ninja how to run up trees and walk on vertical walls. The training helps the ninja learn how to focus just the right amount of chakra to a particular part of their body. The amount needed to climb is small but it must be precise. The feet are regarded as the hardest location to master chakra focusing. So by gaining the art of this skill, the ninja will have any jutsu available (theoretically) because they will be able to focus their chakra as needed.

**Suimen Hokou no Waza - Act of Water Surface Walking**

Rank: Unknown

A variation on the Kinobori no Waza (Act of Tree Climbing), the art of water surface walking allows a ninja to walk on water as if it was a solid surface. Focusing an even amount of chakra out of the soles of their feet, they can balance themselves on the very surface of the water.

**Thank you for reading this story, now please help me out by giving me some REVIEWS!!! I'll accept any criticism with open arms, compliments like pieces of chocolate, and flames with pride. Yes, that's right, **_**pride**_**. So please, REVIEW!!! (It encourages me to update faster :P )**


	6. AN

Sorry everyone, but do to the instability of the storyline, I am finding it difficult to finish my two current stories. Also, after reading, and doing some self-education, I have realized that the only way that _I _could make this story better would be to completely rewrite it, and with the way that the storyline is progressing, that becomes increasingly difficult. As such, I am discontinuing the current stories to work with other Naruto crossovers.

If, on the off chance that some reader felt this could be improved on (and I know it can), I would like anyone who wishes to take over and finish this story to send me a PM. I'll look the person's profile over, and let that person take the reigns. After that is said and done, I will delete this story.

If anyone has good ideas for crossovers that they would like to see, PM me, and I'll see what I can do.

Draco Kamikaze


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